Stories of the Paranormal and Urban Legends
by ericastwilight
Summary: Short Twilight Fanfic stories, unedited and loosely based on urban legends, ghost stories, and videos found on YouTube FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER. Most won't even have an ending, they're only meant to spook you. HORROR
1. The Dark Hallway I

**AN: This will be unbetaed, so all mistakes are my own. I needed a more quick turn around so I can post daily and since my RL schedule is chaotic that makes it harder. Some of these will have more than one chapter, others will only have one. Some will not even have a real ending like most horror is often left open-ended. These are meant to spook and entertain. Some can be violent, I'll put a TW for trigger warning for anything that may be considered a trigger. I hope you enjoy!**

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**The Dark Hallway I**

* * *

Edward woke up with a start. A commotion in the hallway of his small building disturbed him, but he thought nothing of it. The new neighbor had started moving in a few nights before, having introduced herself as Bella her first night. She was a pretty little thing, but much too young and sweet for a cynical bastard like him.

Hadn't she mentioned she was done moving though? And why so after one in the morning? Should he offer some help? It could invite for more conversation and he wasn't interested in any, she was far too tempting. It would be best to leave it alone.

He shifted on his couch, having fallen asleep watching bullshit news again. The fall evening was cool and quiet...too quiet after the noise he heard earlier. His brow furrowed when a heartbreaking whimper followed a few thumping sounds.

_Bella._

He fluidly rose to his feet, his fingers curled around the grip of his service weapon on the coffee table and made his way to the door. A glance through the peephole gave him nothing on what to expect to find out in the darkened hallway. It did, however, raise a couple of questions. What happened to the lights? What would he find when he opened the door?

Another soft whimper made him curse, giving him no choice but to investigate. The click of his deadbolt sounded loud in the too still night. His heart raced, pounding in his chest as sweat beaded across his brow.

Something felt off.

His latest nightmares started in the same manner, which made fear cloud his vision. It felt harder than usual to detach himself to get the job done. Instead of calling out if he could be of assistance, he swung the door open fast and hard, giving whoever was in the hallway little chance to react. Something blurred past him, thundering down the stairs. He slunk down the hall he shared with the other tenant of the building. The café on the bottom floor had closed hours earlier.

Something crunched under his boots, surprised to find all the light fixtures were busted, except for one at the end of the hall. His vision spun when he focused on a single source of brightness. Whatever was happening, Edward was precariously close to losing his balance. Nothing felt right, the air too thick around him, electric.

Bella stood on the tips of her toes, by the wall a few feet away. A blood trail on the wood flooring led to her likely due to the broken glass. She looked around the corner toward the darkened staircase without exposing her position. Smart woman. She wore barely-there shorts and a threadbare pink shirt, her long, dark hair a mess of waves down her back. Her apartment door lay wide open, her weapon of convenience was a rolling pin raised up and ready.

Her head tilted slightly toward him and she took a deep breath. "Edward?" She turned to look at him, her eyes reflecting in the poor lighting for a moment.

A figment of his usually underactive imagination. Footsteps pounded from the staircase again. Her attacker was coming back.

"Run!" She turned toward Edward as the last light fixture over her head spewed a fountain of sparks and exploded. Glass started to rain down but he towered over her, his coat taking the brunt of it.

Still covering her body as best as he could, Edward grabbed her and pushed into her apartment the moment he heard a deep resonating growl that chilled him to the bone.

Time to flee, he'd ask questions later.

.

.

.

* * *

"Did someone or something hurt you?" Edward double-checked the locks, cursing when something large swiped at the door, rattling the hinges and knob. Was her attacker on something? As a cop, even on the outskirts of Seattle, he saw a lot of shit, but a growling human, not so much. Okay, he heard a few growls in his time, but whatever he heard out there sounded inhuman.

"Does an asshole count as a 'something'?" She shrugged, rubbing the making of a bruise on her cheek.

Seeing it on her pale skin made his blood boil. "Who did that to you?"

"He's been hanging out where I work, then here, I thought he was a friend of yours or something."

"I don't have friends, Bella. I'm going after him. Call the police, tell them my name and badge number." Edward had her repeat the numbers as he peeped into the hallway, trying to discern what had growled at them. "Did that fucker bring a dog or something?"

"I thought I heard one, too, never saw it though. He's got to be gone by now." Bella handed Edward her cell phone, which he looked at with distaste. "I don't have a landline."

"Remind me to tell you how stupid that is later." Grabbing the cell phone, he proceeded to call into his precinct. "Not an ex, right?"

The unexpected shot of jealously unnerved him.

She rolled her eyes, rubbing her hand hard. "No, just a stupid pest that won't take no for answer." Holding up her hand for inspection, she hissed. "That fucker bit me and drew blood! I want him behind bars. I am so pressing charges and putting a restraining order on his ass."

Edward smirked at the fiery temper and felt grateful he wouldn't have to convince her to do all those things.

"What does he look like?" Edward proceeded to tell his partner about the suspect, a male in his early twenties, six feet tall, approximately one hundred eighty pounds, white with dark blond hair. Answered to Paul and asshole, according to his young neighbor. "Stay here, I'm going to double-check the rest of the building and downstairs."

She nodded and promised to lock up after him. "Anything else?"

Edward's gaze swept from the tips of bare feet to the top of her head, lingering on every curve on the way up. "You might want to put on more clothes since my partner and a few others are coming."

The door slammed behind him.

A few minutes later, Bella hummed as moonlight filtered through her bedroom window, choosing carefully what to wear. Her blood simmered under her skin when she thought of the way the detective looked at her, those enchanting, but sad green eyes. The night was still young and fraught with possibilities.

The bite, in the fleshly part between her thumb and forefinger, itched and burned. "Stupid fucking werewolf."

The incident would only make her more determined to lure her mate, then she thought of Edward again and smiled.

.

.

.

* * *

Paul hissed and writhed in a small wooded area that provided him with some cover. The transformation back to human usually took a minute, though every second painful. He felt different ever since he took a bite of the woman he followed earlier. He had found her scent seductive, alluring. His evil intentions of sex before having her for dinner, faded away as his blood started to boil in his veins.

He had suspected she was a vampire but the moment his teeth cut through her skin, he knew she was something else. He watched helplessly as blisters blossomed over his skin, his bones cracked, sending him to his knees.

"Poisonous." His howls and cries echoed into the night.

He remembered some of the legends of his people. Vampires and werewolves were not the only monsters that walked the earth. There were many others, but he never had believed one would be found in such a young, innocent-looking woman. Should've known better than walk into her darkened hallway.


	2. What is That?

**AN: This is not connected to the first story. **

* * *

**What Is That?**

* * *

Edward laughed as his girlfriend of two years groaned as his mother walked up the stairs toward his floor. Each step pronounced to allow them time to straighten up before she came into the room.

The open-door policy his parents insisted on when they started dating hardly mattered on the third floor of their home. Which was why she often had to ask Edward something, or put towels in the restroom, or some other frivolous reason to ensure they kept it PG in his bedroom.

If she only knew about their video chats, most of those ended rated R.

"Come on, Bella, six more months before we move away." He nudged her into the chair by his desk as he adjusted himself and went to sit on the bed, across the room. They had spent the last twenty minutes heavily making out like…well, teenagers.

"Seriously, this is the fourth time and I've been here like seventy minutes and that includes dinner." Bella rested her head on her opened Trigonometry book and sighed. "Maybe I should head home."

Esme, Edward's mother, popped her head in, a look of relief on her face when they were decent. "Oh, I only came into to remind it's a school night."

Edward looked at the time and cocked a brow. "Yeah, and it's only nine." He looked up as Bella started to pack up, protesting. "We still have homework."

She swung her backpack on and smiled at Edward's mother then turned to her boyfriend and best friend. "We can video chat. Give me about ten minutes to put a load in the dryer." She faced Esme and thanked her for dinner.

"No problem, sweetheart. I'll walk you out."

Bella looked at Edward, her golden-brown eyes wide and alarmed. They had a private conversation but Edward gestured toward his lap, he wasn't exactly in the position to stand at the moment. "I'm so sorry," he mouthed. "Love you!"

She narrowed her eyes and motioned with her hand that he was cut off but he only smirked in response. They knew she would never hold back for long. "See you in a bit, Edward."

Bella wasn't sure what to do about the awkward silence between them. It had been that way for a while between them.

"I'm sorry I'm being a pain in the ass," Esme whispered after looking over her shoulder to be sure they were alone. "You still have two days until the birth control pills are effective."

Bella gasped and nearly choked in shock. Her face enflamed, along with the ears, and even her chest. She had blocked the "spa trip" with Edward's mother from her mind when she realized they were headed a clinic. Sure, they headed to the spa afterward, but it had been horrible.

Esme had given her a more detailed sex talk, and though Bella agreed with everything about preventing teenage pregnancy, the fact that her boyfriend's mother helped her get the protection mortified her.

"We wouldn't, not while you're both here!" Bella fanned her face, her embarrassment making her sweat. "I'm going home, see you never!"

Esme laughed as Bella launched herself down the last few stairs and out the front door. She didn't enjoy torturing the kids, but there was a little fun in it.

"What did you say to her?" Edward ran past her and flung the door open. "She's running home, she hates to run!" Luckily, she only lived next door.

"I only reminded her of something and she said she had to go." His mother looked much too innocent.

It was his fault really; he'd use the look for years to get away with pretty much anything.

Edward stepped outside, watching his girlfriend head to her house. "Stop running, baby. You're going to fall!"

Bella yelped as she stumbled, followed by, "I'm okay!"

Edward closed the door and glared at his mother. "She fell, I hope you're happy."

Esme shrugged, tracing an imaginary halo with her finger. "I didn't do anything."

"Ha! Gotcha, you _do_ anything, but you said something. I'll find out what later." He rolled his eyes and jogged up the stairs. "You're lucky she sees you as a mother figure."

"And I love her like a daughter." Esme sighed as he disappeared into his room, they would make very cute babies, with her son's green eyes and her curls, but not yet.

.

.

.

* * *

"See, it's not that hard," Edward said smugly when Bella managed the next math problem on her own. "You look cute."

Bella had changed into Edward's old baseball shirt and a pair of spanks, her hair in a ponytail, the light makeup was gone. "Cute? Ugh, I was so going for sexy."

"You are, but also cute." Edward chuckled when she flipped him off. He finished the last of his homework, raising his hands in the air in triumph. "I'm done!" He slammed the book closed and flossed for about two seconds before Bella threatened to record him and share it with the world.

"Why do we need to know this?" Bella waved her hand over her notebook. "I'm never planning on using this in my career or daily life." She smiled at him, or her laptop since they were video chatting. "Besides I have you to help with all things concerning numbers."

"Always, love." Edward pressed two fingers to his lips and placed it over the webcam lenses.

They practically grew up together, became best friends, and fell in love. They were heading to the same college in California, and despite the naysayers, they planned to go all the way to down the aisle, in five to ten years, of course.

Someone knocked on Bella's door, both freezing as if they got caught doing something. Thankfully they hadn't gotten to the good stuff yet. "Hey, Edward, you helping my baby girl with her math?"

They laughed as Bella scowled and them both. "Very funny, I hate math. It's not like you're very good at it either, Dad."

Charlie grinned and shook his head. "Why do you think I hired Edward as your tutor instead of the Newton boy?"

Edward barely suppressed the growl in his throat. He generally wasn't possessive, had no reason to be. However, if it hadn't been for Mike failing miserably on his interview to tutor Bella, he never would've told her how he really felt.

"Remind you to thank you for that tomorrow, Chief," Edward stated, loving how Bella continued to grumble about stupid math.

"Will do, lights out in an hour, Kiddo. I'm heading to bed." He looked at his watch, meeting Edward's eyes on Bella's computer screen. "One hour."

"Yes, sir," Bella and Edward said in unison. They exhaled sharply the second he closed the bedroom door. "One hour." She smiled into the camera as she put on her headphones for a bit more privacy, then flashed her gorgeous, full tits for a second. "Whatever shall we do in that hour?"

Edward screen sprayed all over his computer and desk, while his girlfriend had the last laugh. "You're so unfair and stop trying to distract me. Finish your math homework."

"Yes, Sir," she purred, making him groan.

For the next several minutes, while Edward cleaned up, and Bella finished homework they made plans for the weekend. They had to take precautions since her late mother's murder the year before. Charlie didn't like them to be too far from home, the suspect had never been caught.

"I'm done!" Bella stood up and started to dance, giving Edward another hard-on and a damn good show. She pulled up his shirt and flashed him again, turning around and dropping it down low to whatever music was in her head.

"Your door isn't even locked," he hissed and made sure his door was secured now that he was alone.

She bounced toward her door, locking it and looking at her closet for a moment. "I thought I closed that." She shrugged and closed it, humming as she walked toward her desk again. Looking like sin in those shorts and her hand slipping under the waistband. "So, where were we?"

"You were going to tell me what had you running earlier?" He closed his eyes when she gave him another tantalizing view. "Tell me, Bella. It's not like you to keep secrets from me."

He used the pout, the look that still worked on her.

She groaned. "We haven't had a chance to have sex in two weeks, and now you're putting a ban on video sex." She threw her hands up. "Where did I go wrong?" Her words sounded angry, but her giggle gave it away. "You remember that _spa day _your mom and I had?"

Edward's eyes narrowed for a moment, something behind her moved. A shadow? "Baby, what's that behind you?"

She sighed, getting upset. "That worked once, I'm not falling for it this time."

He looked at her again and smirked. "Twice, Bella. You fell for it twice. But I'm not joking." He leaned back and then forward again. "There it is again! Something is moving behind you."

"What does it look like?" she asked in a bored down, propping up her elbow and resting her chin on her hand. "Is it a dark, looming shadow? Or is it a white ball of light this time?" She bounced in her chair, her tits distracting him for two seconds. "Oh, I know. It's a white mist starting to take the shape of a woman."

She mockingly described various ways spirits manifested themselves, all from their favorite ghost hunting shows, while a ghostly figure started to take shape behind her.

"What the fuck is that?" Edward rose from his chair, staring in confusion and fear. "Baby, please, I'm not joking."

"Edward, we all know you can act and that you were the best Abe Lincoln in the third grade anybody had ever seen. Stop playing around."

The figure, a woman in a dark blue dress stared longingly at Bella, one hand outstretched out as if to reach for her. Though nearly transparent, Edward started to understand who it was and what was wrong. The ghost turned toward the closet, pointing at it.

He stared at his girlfriend. "Bella, shut up and scream for your dad."

She looked alarmed for a moment, shivering once then threw her head back and screamed, "Daddy!"

Something stumbled out of her closet, a figure in black clothing, covering her mouth.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck!" Edward grabbed his bat and ran down the stairs, telling his mother to call the police. His father was right behind him, no questions asked. The front door opened with his key, then he took three stairs at a time to reach Bella's room.

He called out for Charlie and Bella as a gun went off. "Bella!"

His father pulled him back, taking point and busted the door to her room door in. "Charlie, oh God, Charlie."

Edward walked into the room expecting the worst and found Charlie cradling his daughter, a gash on her forehead. "She's okay, she's okay. It's just a scratch."

The room appeared as if a hurricane had gone through it. Her laptop lay on its side on the floor by her bed. Her desk chair somehow standing upside down in the closet, clothes were strewn everywhere. By the window, on the floor, was the dark figure Edward had seen on his screen. He'd been shot by Charlie, his father asking if it was safe to check him.

Charlie made sure his daughter was steady and helped Carlisle check the attacker's wound on his shoulder.

Edward realized the lady in blue was nowhere to be seen.

Bella looked at him, still panting from the struggle. "How did you see him?"

"I didn't, not until he grabbed you." Edward swallowed, falling to his knees in front of her, pulling her onto his lap. "A ghost pointed to your closet."

"What did you say?" Charlie asked after calling the station and for an ambulance.

"There was a ghost behind you, pointing at the closet. She warned me."

"This isn't the time for jokes, babe." Bella grabbed his face, worried that he looked so pale. She couldn't imagine having seen her being attacked and being helpless. "What are you saying?"

Edward's green eyes met her again. "It was your mother."

* * *

**AN: The response to this has been amazing, thank you. I'm trying to do these earlier in the day, but so far, I've had no luck. Tomorrow there will be The Whispering Woods update and this. Working on a Beauty and Perpetual Existence chapters so hopefully, if I can get some cafe time, I can write some more. Thanks to everyone sending positive vibes, we did fix the van, but it still sucks my birthday plans were ruined. **


	3. The Storm I

**The Storm**

* * *

Edward Anthony Cullen put the finishing touches on a document and saved the blasted file before shutting down for the night. He noticed the time and groaned, almost midnight.

Again.

"Being your own boss is the best thing, they said," he grumbled. "You can take a day off any time you want." His voice sounded hollow even to him.

His business was doing well, so good that he surpassed his expectations and projections. Sales were through the roof and they couldn't keep up with the demand. The number of hours he worked weekly was the biggest issue. He averaged at least eighty hours a week, leaving little time for anything else.

Work and no play left Edward a cranky fucking asshole, and he knew it. His family even avoided him, and the two employees he had to help with the sheer number of orders, often gave him a wide berth. The new employee his sister hired who started the following week would likely do the same. The shop he rented and would soon own was a mere 1800 square feet, there wasn't much room to avoid each other.

The sound of thunder rattled various tools on the workbench, and he groaned. He finished the Volturi order he intended to send out first thing in the morning but left the worktables a mess. Jasper, one of his best friends and employees, would have to inspect each t-shirt to ensure of the quality, so he had to make room. An order of five hundred custom shirts was nothing to laugh at and if the customer was happy, they'd come back for more. Their future business would certainly pave the path to a brighter one for himself.

Cullen Custom Designs had been a dream for years until he chose to leave his corporate job after being caught up in a scandal. He hadn't fucked his boss's wife and daughter, but his competition to make partner at the law firm had. The fucker tried to pin it on him, though he and his boss had squared things away, he was sickened by the whole thing. Tired of office politics and dealing with whiny divorcees, he quit.

Instead, he fell back to a passion he once had in his youth, art.

Cleaning up would take longer than he wanted, but it would allow time for the storm to pass. According to the news report on the flat screen on the wall, it was a big mother fucker, some hail had been reported, along with thunder and lightning.

The lights overhead started to flicker and Edward knew he'd likely lose electricity. He powered down several machines and the flat screen, despite surge protection. They were the center of his business, though he could afford to new ones, he'd rather not waste the money.

He scrambled to find extra batteries for the two flashlights he had. One look outside, and the fact that he couldn't see his truck made him realize leaving would be a dangerous mistake.

It appeared he'd be spending the night there.

"Oh well," he muttered, finishing the cleanup. A fridge raid twenty minutes later gave him some options for a midnight dinner, much better than the frozen pizza waiting for him at his apartment. He'd make it up to Jasper and Jake, for stealing their leftovers.

Fried chicken and spaghetti never tasted so good, and a cold drink of Pepsi washed it all down. He watched lightning make the sky glow bright, instantly making him come up with a t-shirt design his regular online customers would love.

Between bites of food, he sketched as the dark sky inspired him. A strange buzz filled the air, a silver glow shimmered outside his window, drawing his attention to the mobile tower he had installed to improve their network capabilities.

Storm gray clouds the size of mountains parted as a spear of lightning likely thrown by the God of Thunder himself, hit the tower. The air crackled with energy and electricity, bright white and silver sparks blinded Edward for several moments.

His plate clattered onto his sketch pad, shock then worry struck, stupidly wondering if he had the tower insured. It was probably dead, though the installer indicated that it could take several strikes from lightning. He picked up his cell phone, dropping it due to the extreme cold.

"What the fuck?"

Then the power went out.

For a few minutes, he could do nothing but stare, thankful the lightning hadn't caused any fires. He nudged his phone with his finger, finding it room temperature at best. Maybe his imagination got the best of him.

He reached for one of the flashlights, then suddenly his cell phone rang a strange combination of ring tones, vibrating across the work table. Swallowing and feeling stupid about fearing a fucking phone, he answered the video call.

"_Hi, baby," _a beautiful woman with dark hair said. She bit her lip nervously, turning when a crash of thunder startled her. _"When are you coming home?" _

Could she not see him? "I think you have the wrong number." He would remember a face like hers, heart-shaped, full lips, a dash of freckles along the top of her cheeks, gorgeous gray eyes, the color of the storm. He would never forget a face like that.

"_That's not funny," _she whined, rubbing away a tear that he immediately wanted to apologize for._ "Edward, you know how much I hate storms." _

She knew his name and his number. This had his sister written all over it.

"I have no idea who you are, lady." The irritation in his voice made her breath hitch.

"_After everything I told you about my father, about him dying during a storm like this, you choose now to play games."_ She shook her head, tears falling from her breathtaking eyes. They almost looked silver, like lightning in the sky.

"I'm sorry about your father, but I honestly don't know who you are."

She got up from a familiar dark brown couch and turned her phone to face the room she was in, that looked exactly like his living room. Though there were a few things out of place and some pieces he didn't recognize. _"If you don't know who I am, how am I in your apartment? How come I have a key? Did Alice or Rosalie put you up to this? I swear if it was Emmett, he's dead to me. I don't care if he's your brother. I warned him about scaring me as pranks." _

"What the fuck are you doing in my apartment? How did you get through security? I'm calling the police, lady! How do I know my family didn't put _you_ up to this? I don't even know your name!"

The sound of glass breaking in the distance made her jump and turn the phone around so that I could see her face. She looked genuinely scared. _"Is that you? I told you before if you played a prank that scared me so much, that we'd be done. Don't do this, Edward."_

"I'm at the fucking shop!" Edward grabbed his keys and his second phone meant for only business. If he kept her talking, maybe the police could catch her.

"_I think someone's upstairs."_ She ran into what appeared to be his hall closet, he recognized a few things inside. _"Oh God, I hear someone coming down the stairs."_

Even though the woman had broken into his place, he wouldn't want her or anyone to get hurt. The tears were too real, the puffiness around her eyes couldn't be fake right before his eyes.

"_Oh, God, he's calling my name, Edward. It's him!" _

Edward heard another voice, much deeper, definitely male. _"Bella! Oh, Isabella! Come out, come out wherever you are." _

"Bella," Edward whispered, watching her tremble, the minimal light of her phone kept her face in the shadows. He didn't know who the woman was, but he had to help her. "There's a trick board under my hiking boots, inside is a loaded gun. Pull it out, I'm calling the police and…"

She screamed as someone swung the door open, _"Edward! Help me! Help! Six feet, tanned skin, short sandy blond hair, a scar on his left cheek!"_

Edward listened in horror, frozen inside his truck, as she described her attacker. It didn't matter who she was or how she got into his place, the only thing that mattered was saving her.

"_Shut up, bitch!" _

"_I love you, Edward!" _

Then nothing but silence. He stared at the screen…unsure of what he was seeing. The five-minute phone call was dated three months from now.

_To be continued._

* * *

**AN: I keep trying to do this during the day, but RL IS A BTICH RIGHT NOW! Phew, sorry, if I don't get some time for myself this weekend, I may cut someone. No, not really, I'm just really stressed. Writing this and other fics are the only thing keeping me sane. Your reviews and a few stories I've seen have been so helpful, thank you. Crossing fingers for cafe time tomorrow. See you tomorrow. **


	4. Best Served Cold I

_**Best Served Cold**_

* * *

"_Dad, I don't know how long I can talk before they find out I called you." _Charlie listened to his daughter Bella whisper, her voice trembling with fear. _"They made me sign some paperwork, you know while I was sick, and I remembered the other. They keep refusing to let me see it. I think... I think it was for a life insurance policy for over two million dollars in the event _**I **_die." _

Charlie choked back tears, wishing his daughter was with him right at that moment. He would do anything, give up everything for her, why hadn't he'd gone after Renee all those years ago. The regret cut into him with every harsh breath she took over the voicemail.

"_Oh God, remember how I said I wanted to move back home, to be with you. Mom got so mad, but it wasn't compared to how Phil reacted. I think they're trying to kill me." Her breath hitched, and he knew she had to be crying. "Phil 'fixed' my brakes and I lost control of my car…if you hadn't taught me what to do in that situation, I would be dead right now. They didn't let me call you today after it happened, they took my phone, but I had my back up, the one you gave me for…"_

"Emergencies," they said in unison, one through speakerphone and the other through pinched lips. It was all he could do not to breakdown.

"_Come get me, Daddy. I need help. Daddy, please." _

The "please" made Charlie rock where he sat, cradling his phone and replaying the year-old message from his late daughter. He sobbed and choked on his anguish; the pain hadn't lessened, only magnifying as months passed. Every dollar he had wasted on useless private investigators, only to find out what he'd known all along.

His ex-wife had fallen in love with a conman, and though it seemed that Phil cared for her, too, the endgame was always a big payout. In this game, it was an insurance policy on his daughter.

Charlie's beautiful Bella had died in a fiery car crash on the way to see him, she had found a way to escape. Someone had tampered with the brakes, but Bella's bout of depression led authorities to call it a suicide, the fact that she'd stolen the keys of the truck Charlie bought her made them think it further proved it.

Charlie's service gun lay beside him, on the arm of his favorite recliner, one he used to read to his baby girl. Until Renee ripped his heart out by taking Bella from him. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry I didn't listen. I'm so sorry I didn't answer your call. I'm sorry I'm not strong enough."

.

.

.

* * *

"Oh no!" Alice screamed, instantly putting the family on alert. Jasper held her as she trembled, her golden eyes glassy from the inability to tear up.

"What was that?" Edward ran into the room, others right behind him. "I couldn't catch it before you started thinking about your trip to Milan."

"Charlie," she choked, shaking her head. "It's so awful."

A gasp of pain came from the top of the stairs. "Is he…is he going to do it?"

Alice nodded at her best friend's question, sobbing into her hands. "He blames himself. Now with his job on the line, his relationship with Sue falling apart, he doesn't…" She couldn't even finish, the vision was much too clear and graphic, too fresh.

The blood, the picture of him and his precious baby girl clutched to hand, his tear-drenched cheeks.

"Stop!" Edward cried out, wishing he could scrub the images from his mind. He owed Charlie Swan so much, he couldn't let it happen. Not like that.

He looked as his beautiful wife, her eyes a unique gold and maroon, a sign she was still in her newborn stage. "Bella?"

A cold look of determination came over her porcelain skin, her ruby red lips twisting into a snarl. "If we don't get there in time, they will die. If we do, they still will die."

Edward nodded, holding out his hand in his show of support. He would do anything to make her happy. She was after all his mate.

.

.

.

* * *

"_Edward!" Alice screamed from within the forest, his vampiric speed remained unmatched by any vampire he'd come across since his transformation. _

_He joined her, watching for a moment as her husband Jasper disposed of a mountain lion. Venom coated his tongue, but his hunger was easily ignored. "What is it, Alice? I was in the middle of something." _

_Rearranging his extensive music collection took time, even for a vampire. Plus, Emmett had taken some. Again._

"_I saw your future and something wonderful happens!" She started to bounce, clapping her hands and laughing, her glossy dark hair moving along with her. "She's going to be my best friend!" _

"_Who is?" Jasper dusted off his hands and jeans and smiled at his petite wife. _

_"Edward's mate, she decided to come back to Forks!"_

"_Back? She's lived here before?" Edward didn't want to hope, but yet, a spark simmered in the center of his chest. A mate? Could it be true?_

"_Chief Swan's daughter!" She started to dance around in circles, so happy to finally have another sister and not to mention it would mean a less moody Edward. _

_Jasper couldn't keep the smile off his face, his wife's emotions washing over in him tidal waves. Then he realized what she said at the same time as Edward._

"_She's human!" Jasper gave Edward a look, shaking his head. "That's not going to go well with…" _

_He didn't have to say it, Carlisle would never again make the choice to change someone, not without their permission. Rosalie was a different matter altogether. _

_"Then maybe we should leave," Edward whispered, the pain of being alone already left a hole in him. "I can't…" Before he could finish his sentence, Alice shared her vision of a lovely girl with dark hair, enchanting brown eyes, and for some reason, he appeared quite confused. "Why?"_

"_You can't read her mind!" Alice jumped into her brother's back and popped him on the head. "You won't be able to stay away from her." _

_Edward learned long ago, never to bet against Alice._

Two days later, while preparing for Bella's arrival to Forks, Alice screamed once again, in hysterics by the time every member of the family reached her. A vision indicated Bella wouldn't be coming to Forks because her stepfather and mother were planning to kill her.

Despite the summer sun in California, Edward, along with Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Carlisle, made their way to Phoenix, Arizona and saved her.

"What are you thinking of, Love?" Bella picked up speed, though her focus seemed to be on reaching her father's home on time.

"How I saved you."

She cocked a brow and hopped into a tree, realizing Charlie wasn't home yet. "You mean almost set yourself on fire to save a stranger?"

Edward smirked, joining her on the tree, but on a branch beneath her. "You were no stranger to me by then. Over forty-eight hours of constant visions from Alice of our future made that impossible."

Though she smiled at him, her eyes held a deep sadness. "I'm going to scare the fuck out of him, aren't I?"

Edward shook his head. "If we found a way to notify him without risking the Volturi, I would've, my love."

She palmed the side of his face, his jawline as sharp as ever. When she had realized that she was going to die on a stretch of road outside of Phoenix, she thought he'd been an angel.

Until she felt the pain from the fire, how every inch of her body screamed in agony. She'd been hit by Edward, flying through her window, and out the other with her caged in his arms.

Through her pain, Edward explained who and _what_ they were, asking for a chance to love her for eternity. She couldn't say no, she knew what it would cost him if she had said no. A small part of her already loved him at that moment, more so when he remained by her side through the excruciating transformation. The police found a body matching her height and weight, and thanks to some creative computer skills, Jasper ensured the dental records would match hers.

Isabella Marie Swan died almost a year ago.

It was time to save her father, and destroy those that tried to kill her.

.

.

.

* * *

Charlie Swan walked into his home for the last time, felt the finality deep inside his bones, and the tattered remnants of his soul. Food was the last thing on his mind as he entered the kitchen for a beer, the bright yellow cabinets were blue thanks to Sue. Dulled with the final coat of varnish, he hadn't had the heart to complete the task.

He hung his jacket and keys, pulling the loop of his service weapon open, the click sounded so final. He tapped it three times and left in its holster. Another tap to his shirt pocket indicated the photo of his baby girl was still there. He'd been carrying it since her funeral, thankful Carlisle and Esme Cullen had helped put it all together. Their kids had also made sure his ex-wife and husband didn't attend. If he had seen either of them, he'd be in jail for murder.

It would be another regret he would have to live with for a little while longer. He would never get to see Renee and Phil behind bars or dead.

He walked into this living room to find Edward Cullen and someone who eerily looked like his daughter.

"Bella?"

Her nose twitched as her head cocked to one side. "Hi, Daddy."

_To be continued._

* * *

**_AN:_ How do you think Charlie is going to react? And how do you think Renee and Phil should die? Revenge will be sweet. This will have two to three parts an I should have another one up by Monday. Tomorrow is another one for The Dark Hallway *excited Alice clapping* **

**Now if all the stars align, I might be able to get to Starbucks tomorrow to write for hours. *please, please, please*, don't let the client end up being an asshole.**


	5. The Dark Hallway II

**The Dark Hallway II**

* * *

Edward led his partner Alec, of three years to the door, though what he wanted to do was push him out of it. The asshole had flirted with Bella every time he turned his back.

He didn't like it, which was stupid in his book.

Bella however, made him feel better when she paid Alec little attention other than answering questions.

"_No, he was already on my floor, and yes I closed and locked my door. The next thing I knew, he was in my apartment."_

"_An ex?"_

_She rolled her eyes since she had already answered the question several times. _"_No, he's not my ex-boyfriend. I've only seen him at my bar a few times."_

"_Your bar?" Alec cocked an eyebrow, a bit impressed. _

"_My aunt left it for me, so I thought I'd check out management and how things are run."_

"_Aren't you a little young to own a bar?" _

_She smirked. "I'm older than I look." _

"_Bullshit, you don't look over nineteen." Alec looked at her driver's license and whistled. "Almost thirty, good, now I don't feel like a perverted old man." _

_She looked him in the eyes. "Not sure I see a difference from a perverted old man from just a pervert." _

Edward had been across the room checking the fire escape and laughed out loud, earning a grin from Bella and a scowl from Alec.

"There's something weird about your neighbor," Alec whispered as he stepped out into the hallway. Some battery-operated lights lit it up, put up by Edward himself. He wasn't taking any risks in case Bella's attacker decided to come back.

"Why? Because she showed no interest in you?" Edward rolled his eyes. Alec got a lot of action when he was off the clock. He was over six feet tall, dark stylish hair and the chiseled features women flocked to him for, but he wasn't used to disinterest.

"Well there's that, but she said something that didn't make a lot of sense unless she knew me." Alec shook his head, appearing a little dazed. His blue eyes looked clouded and darker than usual. "I don't know her, but she knew about my sister."

"What do you mean?" From what Edward knew, Bella had only moved into the area a few days before. How would she know about Jane?

"She knows she died." Jane had jumped off the balcony of a high rise building in the city, her home that she had shared with her husband.

"Maybe she recognized you from the news coverage?" Edward wondered how she would know and if someone haunted her. There were a few residual spirits since the building was almost a century old. The coffee shop was also a residence for the owner's late grandmother, Edith.

"She moved from New York three days ago, and news coverage didn't even cover the whole state and only lasted a couple of days. It was over a year ago, too."

Alec looked wired, he insisted Jane wouldn't kill herself and though Edward also had doubts, there was little they could do. It was out of their jurisdiction. "I'm sorry, man, but I can't let this go. I'm going…"

Bella came up behind Edward surprising them, she didn't make a damn sound. She shocked the hell out of them as she finished Alec's sentence for him. "Run a background check on me." She looked at each of them and shrugged. "Go right ahead, I have nothing to hide." She lifted her hand and pretended to yawn, but her too bright eyes gave her away. "Now leave."

"Sorry," Alec started, but she waved it away.

"Do what you have to do? Once you see I'm nothing but a speed demon, we'll be fine."

Edward glared as his partner and motioned for him to go. His hand shot forward, stopping Bella from slamming the door in his face. "Wait, let me help you."

She turned and limped into the living room and told him where the first aid kit was in the bathroom. Her place was a similar layout to his, only hers looked homey, warm and nothing like his typical bachelor pad. She unpacked and settled in a few days?

"Let me see your foot," he grunted as he sat on her leather coffee table, using a pair of gloves he found in the kit. "You should've said something." He knew he had seen blood out on the hall, she had stepped on the glass from the busted light fixtures.

"It's fine, I'm a fast healer." She watched him from under a curtain of dark hair, something in her tone sounded like amusement.

Edward snorted and placed her foot on his thigh and pulled off the white ankle sock. It was stiff from her dried blood and it angered him to know that even a drop had fallen. If he got his hands on her attacker, Edward would make sure he got what he deserved.

He lifted her foot slightly to inspect the arch and found a few red scratches, some dried blood, and a sliver of glass surrounded by healed skin. It as if it grew around the foreign object. "What are you?"

Their eyes met. "I'm other like you."

"What to do _you _mean by 'other'?" Edward proceeded to work, angry that all his instincts had failed him and for the first time in a century. How could he be attracted to another supernatural being? He managed to avoid messy entanglements for years.

"Not human." She sighed and looked away while he tugged on the piece of glass. "Ouch. I forget how much it hurts when it heals too fast."

With quick, efficient movements, Edward finished cleaning it but kept her foot in his hands. "What are you?"

Her eyes, an interesting blend of gold and brown started to lighten, pearlized as a tear fell down her cheek. She wiped at it, pulling her foot from his grasp, and sliding her wet finger along the unhealed skin. She placed right back on his thigh.

Edward watched fascinated when the cut appeared to pull itself together and zip right up. He healed quite fast, always had, but not like that. He dropped her foot and rose to his feet.

He looked about ready to run. Bella simply stated, "I'm like you."

"No!" He looked around wildly, needing to escape. The lack of memory had always haunted him, but he never expected his past to literally move in and confront him.

"Yes." She sighed again and it pained him to hear the sadness within the sound. "Come to me when you're ready, I'll help fill in what's missing."

Edward shook his head. "Alec, Alec will come back if we find your attacker."

"You don't have to worry about him," she whispered, a sinister smile on her lips. Her pearlized gold eyes darkened. "He's dead by now."

He didn't question her, anything she said he could use against her if Paul was indeed dead. At her door, he paused to look at her, a sweet smile on her face, her eyes the warm golden brown he had found beautiful the first time he saw her.

"You're afraid of me."

He nodded. "I'm terrified."

She twisted a dark curl of her hair. "I'll make sure they stay away so you can rest tonight."

"They?"

"The spirits that haunt your nightmares." Her lips pinched, her nose scrunching slightly. "They're a crafty bunch and will need a stronger ward to keep them away _all _night. I'm sorry if they managed to get by me, but I think I have it now."

"You're a witch."

She laughed. "Are you a witch?"

Edward shook his head. "No."

"Then neither am I."

"You aren't going to tell me, are you?"

She rose to her feet, making him flinch. "Not until you're ready."

Edward cursed and growled, much like the creature that sprinted past him in the hall. "Then prepare to be disappointed."

Bella leaned against her doorjamb as Edward stomped toward his apartment. "Soon, my love, you won't be able to help yourself."

She hummed and in Edward's apartment as he poured himself three fingers of whiskey, he started to hum the same tune.

_To be continued._

* * *

**AN: See you soon, my loves.**


	6. Cursed I

**Cursed I**

* * *

_Pain radiates through every nerve in my body, the epicenter in my gut. My vision blurs as my hands feel sticky coated with my blood. Blessedly my senses start to lessen in strength as the seconds turn to minutes. It muffles the sound of his laughter that comes from every direction. A high-pitched taunt that belongs on a grade school playground, out of place in the dank, dark woods behind the community building. More so when death clings to me, lingering like an incessant beast, willing me to die already. _

_From a distance, I hear a scuffle, closer, a spat-out curse from the asshole-would-be-hunter, as I lay there defenseless, unable to move. It hurt to think that all of his victims felt so helpless as he stood over them after hunting them like fucking prey._

"_No more baseball or pussy for you, eh?" The figure looms overhead, dark and menacing, nothing like the laughing face of a friend. _

_If only I had listened to my instincts instead of my teammates and fraternity brothers. My instincts had recognized the cloying scent of evil the moment we met. _

_"No one will find your body." The kick to my ribs sends another pulse of pain throughout my body, a sickly pin and needles sensation soon taking over._

_Another curse spills from his cruel mouth as the tell-tale beams of headlights flittered through the trees. _

"_Fuck you, asshole!" He leans in close as voices could be heard from the parking lot. "All you had to do is shut your mouth. Keep your head down and mind your business." The barrel of his gun settles on my temple. I close my eyes, ready for death to carry me away. His gun clicks as he pulls the trigger over and over. _

_It had taken quite a few rounds before he finally gave up. "Out of ammo fucker." I smile up at him, blood bubbling out through my lips. My voice doesn't have the power to scream for help, but it matters little because someone knew something was wrong._

"_Hey, what are you doing? Who's there?" _

"_Is that someone on the ground?"_

"_Fuck!" His hand smashes into my face, further providing evidence as his class ring splits my cheek open. He lands a few kicks to my temple in an attempt to kill me as others close in on our position. _

_The next kick to my head sends me to the welcoming darkness of oblivion. _

.

.

.

* * *

**Bella**

"Mom, quit fussing, I'm fine." I finished my yogurt and rinsed out my bowl, my laptop lay open a few feet away. My "mother" for the last four years of my life, appeared worried as she fidgeted on the screen. Riley and Tanya Manning had fostered me for the year before I turned eighteen and offered to open their hearts and home for me permanently. They truly were my saviors, I shuddered at the thought of being placed in _another _dangerous foster home.

"I'm your mother, I'm allowed to fuss when my only child is so far from home." Then, as if my mom knew her words would make me feel guilty for leaving home, she quickly added, "I'm so proud of you, baby girl."

"I know, Mom." The word slipped easily because despite only knowing her for four years, Tanya was everything I wished for in a mother growing up. "What's dad up to today?"

I checked my bag and binder for everything I needed, listening to my mother state that my dad will likely cut off a finger due to his insistence that he could fix anything. His ER and handyman service bills proved otherwise.

"I have to go if plan to get any library time." I shouldered my bag, wondering for the hundredth time if I should switch to an e-reader. Or like, not take so many books with me everywhere I go. With a little sigh, I removed two books I was reading and pouted

I'd miss my current book boyfriends.

"Have a good day at school, baby."

I blew a kiss at her, promising to call my dad later. My excitement about hitting the library grew as I walked to the bus stop. Public transportation sucked sometimes but it couldn't be helped. There were bad days and worse days when it came to the smidge of claustrophobia I felt when it was full or when some other rider didn't take a hint.

I looked for a seat, finding one quickly and slipping on my headphones on before my butt hit the hard plastic. The regulars I noticed for the last couple of weeks knew the deal, if I had my headphones on, I wasn't open to talking. The two assholes who often harassed me leered but one look from Emmett McCarty a fellow student who shared a class with me put that shit to a stop.

"I got you, B," he said with a mocking grin. He knew I could handle herself well enough, a couple of junk and throat punches had proved that the second time I rode the bus and a persistent dick dared to lay a hand on me.

What had surprised me was the standing ovation from other riders, thank you very much. Emmett also knew I listened to music at the lowest possible setting, I wasn't stupid. I had to be aware of my surroundings at all times.

"Are you sure about that?" I gestured to Molly, a woman in her fifties who hit on anyone who had a look or smell that screamed "money." Emmett was her latest target.

"Nah, I only have eyes for my Rose."

She sighed, wishing I had someone to hold at night, too. "Surprised Rosalie isn't here with you."

Rosalie had yet to grant me permission to call her Rose, which Emmett indicated it had taken him two years to earn the right.

"She went early to check out a book for Conner's class."

I told him I planned on hitting the library too once we got to the west campus. He had practice but asked me to join him and Rosalie for lunch in one of the quads. After firming up plans with his girlfriend via text, we bumped fists, his dwarfed mine three times and went our separate ways.

I clung to the pass Professor Callaghan had given me, allowing me access to a rarely used area of the library. Ancient languages and linguistics came naturally to me and I'd be able to get my hands on some old books. I loved the smell of books, especially leather-bound ones since they absorbed other scents. The only downfall to the rare books section, I couldn't check any of them out and had to use a special room and latex gloves to handle them.

I didn't care. A wave to Sally at the front desk earned me a smile, a rarity according to some of my study buddies but she had a soft spot for me. A few times, I stopped to talk to a few friends I made since starting class earlier that month.

I heard him before I set my eyes on him.

"Why are you ignoring me? Hello! Are you fucking blind, or deaf, or just a bitch?"

What the fuck? I looked around, surprised no one else seemed to hear him. Loud and obnoxious, his voice had continued to rise with every word he spat. Not allowing fear to stop me, I managed to move my scuffed boots forward, rounded the corner, and saw fucking red.

Rosalie sat at the end of one of the tables, head tapping to whatever she was listening to her in her earbuds. Or was she playing the part she often had to again?

For such a dick, hot wouldn't be enough to describe him. At last six-three, athletic build with burnished brown hair just shy of too long, but sexy as fuck. His grey shirt clung to a defined chest and toned stomach, his jeans snug around thick thighs. Why are all the pretty ones such assholes?

Mr. Sculpted Lips continued to spew shit I had heard far too often from pricks on the bus on the street or on campus.

"Leave her alone, asshole!"

Time slowed down, Rosalie's confused expression met mine, a smile soon taking place as she stretched her arms out, and yawned. She hadn't seen the asshole. Then, I watched in both fear and fascination as Rosalie's hand went right through the asshole's chest, shocking her and him, too. Fear filled green eyes held her gaze as he uttered a distressed, "What the fuck?"

Then he vanished.

"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself wondering if it was happening again. Not again.

* * *

**AN: Tomorrow's story will be another part The Storm and after that one, has one part only. I'm trying to keep the ones with more than one part to a minimum. I managed some time at Starbucks and boy did it help! I need more time there. Almost done with updates for Perpetual Existence, The Letter, and Crosshairs. **


	7. The Storm II

**The Storm II**

* * *

There had been no signs of forced entry when Edward returned home that night. A quick search through Facebook listed over a thousand Bella's in the area. Too many to look through at three in the morning. The call had freaked him out enough to lead to a sleepless night.

Working the following day left him on edge, enough for Jasper and Jake to notice. Thankfully the weekend lay ahead of him, hopefully, he could forget all about the woman and the strange call.

"I'm fine guys, head on out. I'll close the shop today."

Jasper didn't need to be told twice, his girlfriend, Edward's sister, had a surprise waiting for him. Jake, on the other hand, took some time to clean up his work station.

Edward went back to putting the finishing touches on a design on the business software he used to create logos. Volturi was happy with the quick turn around and pending the arrival of their order, asked him to design something else for them.

"Hey, Boss," Jake started, warily approaching him. "I wanted to thank you for taking a look at the application and for giving my buddy a chance."

Edward looked over his shoulder and shrugged. A hardworking young man of nineteen, Jake had come from a program to help at-risk kids two years earlier and stayed ever since. He never regretted hiring him and hoped it would be the same for his friend.

"No problem, sorry I missed a chance to do the interview myself, but between your recommendation and Alice's seal of approval, your buddy should be fine."

Jake swallowed hard and looked out the rolled-up door of their shop, out into the parking lot. "Um, his sister wants to meet you, she's waiting outside."

That instantly put Edward on alert, all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "She does? Why?"

Jake looked away from Edward's penetrating green gaze. "She's very protective of Seth. They met in the foster system, and they looked out for each other. They had some serious shit happen to them because of some assholes and stayed in touch once they were separated. As soon as Seth turned eighteen, she took him in."

"All right, show her in and take off already. Not sure why you're nervous, it's going to be fine."

Edward removed his baseball cap to run his hands through his hair to get rid of the dreaded hat hair look. He always made a point to look a bit more polished up meeting new people.

"See you, boss! Bella, go on in!"

Edward nearly stumbled into the workbench as what Jake said filtered through his thick skull. He called her Bella, the same name the attacker called his mysterious midnight caller during the storm.

Rays of sunlight broke through gray cloud formations in the wake of Bella's entrance into the shop. Her face remained in the shadows, her silhouette a tantalizing display of curves.

He had to shade his eyes to see more and what he found it matched the woman who somehow called him from the future. Either that or his so-called friends and Alice put her up to create an elaborate hoax.

"There are some boards out there with rusted nails sticking out everywhere, almost tripped over one. You might want to warn the crew out there."

"Give me a minute then." Edward gave his new guest a wide berth, stepping out of the entrance. "Emmett, bro, you're killing me here, man. I told you, there's too much clientele walking through here. Anything hazardous needs to be cleaned up immediately."

His brother, the owner of the small construction company doing the addition, looked at the boards with disgust. "I told that mother fucker an hour ago to toss them into the bin. Mike, get your ass out here!" He waved at Edward and apologized. "Sorry about that, new guy."

Edward shook his head and took another moment to clear his head and get his racing heart to slow the fuck down before Bella's first impression would be him passing out. He turned to go back inside, but she had followed him out and had to take a step back before they were chest to chest.

_Don't look at her breasts, asshole. Don't you fucking dare._

"You must be Edward," she stated, in a no-nonsense tone, though flushed cheeks belied it. Her hand stretched out toward him.

_Is she blushing?_

Taking a second longer to respond, she cleared her throat and blushed some more. _Interesting_, Edward thought and finally slipped his hand into hers. He almost dropped it; the electric hum he felt the night of the storm thrummed through that simple touch. He felt as electrified as that night.

"You must be Bella," he stated, having to clear his throat when his voice cracked. "I'm sorry, but I didn't get a chance to meet your brother. My sister and one of my employees interviewed him while I was a conference in New York. For a work thing."

_Holy fuck, Edward. Shut up!_

"I know." She looked at their hands, which he still held her captive and cocked a slim eyebrow.

One he wanted to bite.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Must be the static in the air." Edward waved toward the tower. "It was struck by lightning during the storm and I can still feel it."

She bit her lip, nodding and shaking out her hand. He felt the need to do the same. "Me too."

She felt it, too.

What did she mean though? The electricity in the air or whatever this thing between them? Afraid to ask, considering the craziness of the phone call, Edward also wanted to be sure someone wasn't fucking with him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, noticing her eyes linger on his biceps for a moment too long. _Nice. _"Do you know my sister?"

She looked confused. "Should I? Oh wait, she's the one that interviewed my brother." With a snap of her fingers, whatever she needed, came to her. "Alice, right? Seth said she talked like she was on something, but also really genuine. I haven't met her yet."

"That would be her." Edward watched for any tells of deception but she honestly appeared to have no ill intentions. The call, however improbable, happened and he refused to believe he'd lost his mind during the storm. "You sure you never met?"

"No, and you're distracting me." She huffed. "I came to talk to you about a serious matter."

Edward almost smirked at that tone making another appearance again. "I'm listening."

"I don't know how much Jake told you." She pulled her long, dark hair away from her face, enough for him to notice the sprinkle of freckles across her nose.

He recognized the shape of her lips, and any doubt disappeared. The woman standing in front of him somehow called him from the future.

"Enough to know you've been the system, like me and my siblings. You protected him when no one else would and opened up your heart to take him in when the system would've spat him out."

There was no missing the shiver running through her, he saw her bottom lip and hands tremble. Did a memory scare her?

"He's a hard worker, and if someone had listened, they would've had him diagnosed with autism a long time ago. He's wicked smart but he will ever meet your eyes, not unless he trusts you. It only happened for me months after taking him in, because he thought I left him all alone."

"Understandable, kids that go through bad situations as he did, have a hard time trusting anyone."

"Right." She appeared to a little confused again.

"You expected me to give you trouble? Don't worry about it, if he gets upset to the point that we can't handle it, I'll call you. We won't coddle him, but I can't let him fuck up without consequences. He's not the first employee I had on the spectrum. Ben, he's moved onto big and better things, working for Pixar because his 3-D rendering was studio quality and done in half the damn time."

She laughed. "I'm guessing you were sorry to let him go?"

"Nah, I want him to spread his wings, besides he still calls me from time to time. Your brother's portfolio was amazing and his work _will _one day be seen worn by others."

"That's kind of cool to think about and something to look forward to." She cocked her head and smiled at him. "Any chance you need someone for administrative stuff?"

"Yes, but not you. Not gonna happen."

She pouted. Couldn't be more than twenty-two, but something in her eyes said she was wiser than her age indicated. Considering what little he knew about her past, he believed it.

Then she tipped her chin, eyes going stormy, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Somehow he missed that she wore a worn black leather jacket a tad too big on her, slim blue jeans, and a torn-up, white t-shirt. How the fuck she made the outfit look sexy, he wasn't sure, but he was grateful for it.

"Why not?" She looked ready to fight and after everything Edward had gone through the night before, he couldn't do it. Too grateful to see and know she was okay…for now.

"Normally, I don't date coworkers."

Her eyes widened, going from stormy to silver in a nanosecond. "Oh."

"But with you, I'll make an exception. You can start on Monday, though the office will not be done for a couple of months. You'll have to put with all the shop noise."

She looked to where Edward pointed, Emmett's crew worked on tearing down the storage room walls for the addition.

He took the moment to get another look at her, finding her gorgeous. There was no stopping whatever it was between them, but he sure as fuck would change what was supposed to happen in three months.

The fucker wouldn't lay a hand on her.

.

.

.

* * *

James watched the asshole owner of the shop and glared at his little sister. They hadn't stopped eye-fucking since they stepped outside to bitch about the boards. He had recognized her as soon as she jumped out of her beat-up truck. The same little bitch that fucked up his life when they were fostered with the Dwyers and everyone believed her. In the years since the night she carved into his gut, he honed his body and did everything he could to be sure she would never recognize him.

Not until the end, then she'd scream his name.

* * *

**AN: Not scary, I know but it'll lead to some stuff later. A few people asked in DMs and PMs for my ko-fi and information to send me coffee money, you're so sweet. I can be found under ericastwilight for Ko-Fi, Venmo, and . Your response to this crazy thing I'm doing has been so amazing to see. Thank you! Next, we'll see what happens when you pick up a hitchhiker in the dead of night. See you tomorrow!**


	8. Midnight Rider

**AN: It's still October 8th in some places, so I made it! I had a long day and didn't get a chance to work on this until pretty late. This does NOT go with any of the earlier stories. It stands alone...**

* * *

**Midnight Rider**

* * *

Bella Swan pulled her backpack higher on her shoulder, sticking out her arm and hitchhiker's thumb. Night descended a lot earlier than she liked, and had hoped to be in the tiny town on her map before the moon was out.

California and Oregon proved fruitful and she had no doubt the state of Washington would be just as welcoming. She only had to get to Forks, where her family awaited her. They, of course, didn't want her to do such a dangerous trip on her own, but to her, it was a rite of passage in a way.

It was an excuse to have fun since once she reached home, she'd have a part to play as a member of the family. Image mattered to her father, as a patriarch of the community, and an outstanding doctor, it made sense. Her mother, a retired interior designer, participated in all community events and ensured each one went off without a hitch.

Her big brother Emmett and his wife Rosalie offered to buy her plane ticket, but hitching up the west coast sounded a lot more adventurous. And it certainly had some perks.

A rustle in the trees made her turn slightly toward the sound, but she only smiled and shook her thumb. Headlights left half of her body in shadow, approaching fast from the sound of it. Best way to get someone to stop, let them know how you look. Sweet and innocent worked with couples and families, the lone riders were mostly male and could be dangerous.

She sensed the driver in the car coming up from behind her would be no different, but beggars can't be choosers. _Is that the way the saying goes?_

The car sounded expensive and the engine purred. Fluffing her hair, allowing the dark waves to fall down her back, she faced the headlights and waved as the car started to slow.

_Smile,_ she told herself.

The dark-tinted window quickly opened to a gorgeous guy with smoky blue-green eyes, dark hair, and a smirk. "Where you headed, beautiful?"

"A bumfuck nowhere town called Forks," she said with a laugh. "Got some family up there waiting for me."

His crooked smile widened, something dark flashing for a second before Bella focused on it. "Well, what do you know? I happen to be heading there."

"Really?" She shifted on her feet, bit her lip, and batted her dark, long lashes. "Can you give me a lift?"

"Sure thing, sweets." He unlocked the door and did his best not to stare at her shapely figure. She turned to grab another bag he hadn't even seen. He popped the passenger seat forward and let her put her things in the back.

Once seated, she visibly shivered, which he didn't miss. "Let me turn up the heat, sweetheart."

_Beautiful, sweets, sweetheart. _Bella wanted to roll her eyes, but instead only smiled at him_. _"Thanks, lost my other jacket at my last stop." She warmed her hands near one of the many vents pointing at her.

The driver nodded and pulled up her window and took off quickly. She startled at the sound of the locks engaging, giving him a worried look.

"Relax, the locks are automatic and lock when I put the car in gear."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense." She gave him an uneasy look. "Sorry, my truck, the reason I'm out here hitching, is old as hell. I'm not used to something this nice." She ran her hands over the supple, black leather seat under her bottom, one that started to warm up. "I'm Bella by the way."

"Beautiful, fitting." He hummed and Bella noticed how he hadn't told her his name. "Has anyone ever told you it's dangerous for a young woman to hitchhike this late at night?"

She shrugged. "I didn't have much choice since I'm planning on surprising my family. May truck broke down three towns ago and would've cost an arm and a leg to fix. Besides, if I call them for help it would ruin my surprise. What kind of car is this?"

She's really sweet, the driver thought and beautiful and about as dumb as a bag of doorknobs. It didn't make sense and now the young woman would learn a very important lesson.

"Never you mind that," he said firmly. "Didn't you hear about the serial killer out on the loose? He's been terrorizing young women like yourself, girls with no sense of self-preservation. He leaves them all posed in a school uniform and glasses as if they'd been to school. It's pretty sick."

"Oh, I hadn't heard about that one!" Her eyes tearing up. "That sounds horrible, those poor girls. I only heard about a series of strange missing person cases that seemed to have started in California, some college town down there. Started with some boy in a music program."

The driver heard about it and it angered him to know that someone else was invading his territory, his playground so to speak. Showing him up after he planned for this for so long. He couldn't allow that. It was too soon for another victim, but he had little choice in the matter.

"You don't have to worry about me. Once I get to Forks, I'll be safe and sound."

_That's what you think, sweetheart._

"Besides, what are the chances that there are two serial killers in this car?" She laughed a delightful little sound that for some reason caused a shiver to run down his spine. Fear trickled in, as she continued to giggle.

"You should see your face." She laughed some more, big belly laughs.

His blood boiled, irritating him to the point of no return. She screamed when he swerved the car into the shoulder, and again when he got on the road again. "That's what happens when you laugh at me."

She scowled. "You're giving off creepy vibes and can't take a joke."

Every biting word angered him more, his foot on the gas grew heavy.

Her hand shot in front of her, holding on the dashboard as the car sped up to dangerous speeds. "Hey, slow down! Pull the car over! Let me out!"

She would scream like all the others.

Except she looked out her window and said something under her breath he couldn't quite catch. "I think it's time for me to get off."

His lips pulled up into a sneer, his eyes lingering on the tiny glimpse of full cleavage. She couldn't be older than nineteen, probably a runaway, though her expensive name brand clothing threw him a little.

"Oh, you'll be getting off, sweetheart, I guarantee it and if not, I don't give a flying fuck." He went to grab her tit, but her fingers wrapped around his wrist, stopping him. Pain radiating down his arm.

"Don't touch me."

"You want a lift, you part those…" Something landed on top of the car before he could finish the sentence, sending it fishtailing all over the road. "What the hell was that?"

Bella dropped his hand and smiled. "That's my love."

A tremendous roar filled the night, the back window exploding from the sound. He watched in terror as a pair of legs shot through the window, suddenly, a pale face met his eyes in the rearview mirror.

"He's a newborn, if I had known how hard it would be to control him, I would've waited to change him once we got home." Bella smiled at her love, his red eyes glowing with bloodlust and adoration, a strange mix. "My family is in for a few surprises." She held out her hand, a shiny ring on her finger. "We got engaged!"

"Bella," the thing in the backseat grunted. "Hurt you?"

She cradled the sides of his face, peppering it with soft kisses and praises for his control. "No, Edward. He didn't hurt me, but he's hurt a lot of people. Hasn't he?"

Lesley, as most of his friends called him, had no idea what held him captive other than the glowing eyes in the reflection. Memory after memory replayed his head, the terror and the delicious screams of his victims sounded like music to his ears.

"Marcia, Alicia, Megan, Allison," Edward hissed, the memories not his own. "Many more." He looked at his Bella and growled. "Kill, eat?"

She pressed her lips to his and nodded. "Get him to pull over first. I think we'll arrive at Forks in style."

Edward only nodded, his head cocking to one side, giving the man who tried to touch his mate instructions through the connection in his mind. "Hungry."

Bella nodded and sighed. "I know, my love. That elk was not enough yesterday." Edward made of face of disgust. "It didn't taste good, did it?"

"Gross," Edward and the driver said in unison. The connection was quite strong and would only strengthen over time.

Lesley cried, sniveling for mercy, sobbing as Edward shared the terror his victims likely felt.

"Blood, he hurt many."

Lesley stared at the girl, though he could not speak, he wanted to convey something. His eyes darted from her to the thing in the backseat.

She smirked. "As I said, he's a newborn. I'm a hybrid vampire." Confusion tightened Lesley's brow. "Half-vampire, half-human. My father was a vampire, my mother was not. My mother died to give me life."

She waved that way, the sadness in her eyes only lasted a moment.

"Anyway, my birth father sent me to another family, one full of vampires. I had no that my bite would start a vampire transformation. And why did I not know? Because they were so protective of me, so I ran away a couple of years ago, in search of something. Now, Alice, one of my sisters, she kept an eye on me, she can see the future."

Bella exited the car and told Edward to do the same, he whined about it but chose to do as she said. "That is until early last month when Edward and I found each other." She held out her hand for Edward's and smiled at him. "It was exactly how they said it would be. When you find the one, you'll do anything to make them happy. Edward said he loved me and wanted to be with me forever. So, we made love and well, I got lost in the passion and bit him."

Edward wrapped his arms around his mate, breathing in the delicate scent of her blood. It was as sweet and a mouthful would be his dessert, his prize. "Hungry, then fuck, more blood."

Bella giggled and kissed her love, making him groan when she rubbed up against him. "Go get your dinner then."

Edward attempted a smile, but it came out more like a snarl. His hunger too great, though his lust for his mate a very close second. "Fuck?"

"After." She pressed another kiss to his lips. "How about I let you play with your food for a while?"

There was no mistaking his smile for a snarl. "Play with bad man."

"Yes, he is a bad man, but Carlisle won't let us continue hunting this way."

Edward scowled and turned his attention to Lesley, who had gone through a range of emotions during Bella and Edward's little display and speech. He looked upon death and it made him tremble.

"Talk." Edward released Lesley from his control.

"Please, please, let me live."

Again, Edward could barely comprehend, his bloodlust encompassed most thought. "No."

"No blood on the seats, Edward." Bella reminded him, settling on her small bag to wait for him. "We're arriving in Forks in style, remember?"

"Yes, style." Edward grinned at Lesley, his red eyes darkening as venom coated his tongue. He grabbed the door and dented it a little, whimpering that he messed up again.

Bella only laughed. "It's all right, Edward. Go ahead, I'd like to get to the best part of the night."

Edward struggled to tear his gaze away from his prey, turning to look at Bella over his shoulder. She had removed her thin jacket, exposing her pretty shoulders. "Mine."

"Yes, yours. Go on then. Go play, I'll be here waiting." She hummed the song he wrote her while still human.

Sex or blood, he couldn't decide. "Fuck?"

"Eat first, you'll need your strength," she purred, licking her lips.

Edward nodded. "Strong Edward, hard fuck."

Bella giggled, making it harder for Edward to choose between two desires.

He turned to Lesley and growled. "Run!"

Lesley's eyes widened as he scrambled out of the car and ran into the line of trees, not bothering to look back. He knew his chances of survival were slim. Branches snagged and scratched his arms and face, and yet he couldn't find it in him to care. Terror in the form of his urine, slid down his thigh, making him sob again. Vampires were real and now he could become one.

"No," Edward said as he fell from a tree and landed in a crouch in front of his prey. "You die tonight." He snarled and pounced, taking a moment to think more clearly. "I know what you wanted to do to her. To my mate. For that, you die slower."

.

.

.

* * *

Bella found her cell phone and called her adopted father, Carlisle. "Hi, Dad. I wanted to let you know I'll be home by dawn." She listened for a moment, her father ecstatic that she was finally coming home. "I know it's a surprise, and you'll have to be ready for a couple more." She sighed, patting her stomach, the little bump there moved under her hand. Edward howled into the night, making her giggle some more. That was thanks to the scary movie they watched the night she accidentally changed him.

"No, I think you'll love them."

* * *

**AN: Her family really should've told her how hard it was to watch over a newborn vampire. I hope you liked it, even if it was a bit darker than the others. Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow. I'm exhausted already. **


	9. Ahead of the Game

**Story Nine—Ahead of the Game**

* * *

Bella awoke with a gasp and a scream trapped in her throat; her mouth too dry to be anything more than a rasp. Her head pounded and ears kept incessantly ringing. Her entire body felt tight as if her muscles had atrophied overnight. The surface under her cold and metallic, and barely wide enough for her body.

_Morgue_, she thought. _I'm in a morgue. _

Scents mingled in the air around her and one more deep breath allowed her to distinguish each one. _Clay, blood, humans and canine feces, plastic, saline solution, and someone's forgotten lunch on a table nearby. _

Sound bombarded her from every direction, the thrumming of blood flowing through veins, a hypnotic rhythm. A harmonious complement to the beating heart. Fear made it race, making the blood sing. A siren's call.

"Bel-la," a voice whispered from the right.

She instantly sat up, the sheet covering her upper body fell around her waist, exposing her chest to the cold. No time passed between the thought and when she shifted into a crouch, her lip twisting into a snarl, "James."

The vampire's laughter bounced around the room, her eyes tracking his every move as he ran from corner to corner. "You've become what you've always hunted."

"Even as a bloodsucker, I'm nothing like you, asshole." Strength surged in her veins and her muscles were coiled to spring at the slightest provocation.

James chastised her language, coming to a stop across the room. His blond hair, caked with her dried blood, held most of the stench stinging her nose. The nomad hardly cared for hygiene, though most vampires rarely had to be concerned about such things.

However, James did enjoy playing with his prey and he often bathed in the blood of his victims after gorging on it and often created morbid jewelry from their bones.

A sick vampire decided to go after one of the most notorious serial killers in the century, who tortured men and women, to change him. Why? For the laughs. Ancient vampires bored easily and some enjoyed toying with humans, that was where she came in, a genetically engineered hunter of the undead. Bella had killed the vampire that dared to sire someone as depraved as James.

"I made you what you are," James said in a singsong voice, turning toward his new favorite little toy. "And now we get to slaughter happily ever after." He closed the distance between them, his lips near her ear. "I love that storybook ending."

Bella tossed her long hair back and laughed as James moved away. "Do you honestly think you're the first vampire who changed me?"

A sneer on his lips twisted to something resembling a snarl, his onyx eyes wide with manic delight and anger. His eyes lingering much too long on her chest.

Bella grabbed the sheet, wrapping it around her naked body. "How's this for a plot twist? I was already an immortal, a different kind of course, and my body will find the venom and reverse this. Vampirism only lasts a few days, a week tops, almost like a common cold."

She took a moment to look around the room, it appeared they were prepping her for an autopsy, and now her body would go missing. A minor mess considering she'd been after James for years. "All you did was give me a very nice power boost."

James snarled and reached for a cabinet behind him. Inside it, the beating heart raced even faster. "Yes, but with all that power, you still can't deny the call of their blood!" He opened the doors and pulled a man almost a bit taller than him, with burnished copper hair and worried green eyes.

Bella's lashes fluttered as the decant scent of his blood perfumed the air, no longer hidden under the antiseptic smell covering every inch of the large, cold room.

James laughed as he wrapped an arm across the man's upper body, sniffing his neck. "So delicious this one. He smells of sex and happiness. I'm willing to share, Bella."

She took her eyes off James long enough to meet the hostage's eyes. "Are you all right, Edward?"

"Yes." Edward, who was in his late twenties, smiled at the beautiful woman. Her dark hair reached the small of her back and despite her petite stature, he knew it would be stupid to fuck with her. Yet, he couldn't resist her.

James looked confused and threw the man toward the vampire hunter and roared. Scalpels and other sharp implements started to fly toward Edward's back, but Bella swiftly maneuvered him behind her and blocked each one.

"I will make him bleed and you will drink from his still-beating heart with a damn straw!" James circled Bella and the man, shielded by her. She was very protective of the human male. "How do you know his name?"

Edward chuckled. "You weren't kidding. They don't take you seriously."

She sighed, batting her lashes at her latest recruit, at that moment, she realized he was her mate. "You should never underestimate small packages or something like that."

Edward sighed, kissing her nose. "We need to work on your metaphors and euphemisms."

She pouted, being almost fifty years older than Edward, was quite an age gap, and social interaction wasn't her cup of tea. Thankfully, she looked in her mid-twenties, the company that created her made sure she'd never age. She rarely participated socially since she was often hunted by those that feared her.

"How do you know each other?" James grabbed a thick metal tray and put all his weight into swinging it toward Edward's head. The human somehow caught the edge of it before it could hit his face, smirking at him.

"You see, the company also gave me the capability to create others like me to hunt rogue vampires like you."

A team of vampire hunters? James hissed, "You mean all vampires."

Bella shook her head, rolling her eyes. "No, rogues. Those that do not follow the rules, who want to destroy our only source of nourishment. We need humans and they can't find out that vampires, werewolves, sirens, zombies, and others exist in the world. They outnumber us a hundred to one and we cannot create armies fast enough if war broke out. When will you assholes get that through your thick skulls?"

"Bella," Edward said simply, using James's head as an armrest, his headless body on the floor near his feet. "I just wanted you to know he wasn't listening anymore. His head just popped right off as you said."

A giggle burst out of her mouth and it made Edward smile. "I can't believe I started monologuing, that's what villains do!" She slapped his chest and glared at him. "You could've stopped me from going on and on."

"Nope, you looked hot a fuck pacing and talking, I loved listening to you." He patted James's head when the eyes twitched several times until they opened.

"Just light me on fire. Right now," James groaned, using his tongue to soothe an itchy spot on his upper lip. "You two have been making fuck me eyes since I pulled him out of the cabinet. Get a damn room."

Bella leaned down and looked into James's eyes. "You're right, we should get a room."

Edward choked for a second and looked somewhat nervous. "Here? In a morgue?"

Bella pulled the sheet off her body and covered James's head; one they would need to prove he was no longer a threat.

"Assholes, I'm about to die and I no longer have a dick, at least you can let me watch until I'm put out of my misery. I can't believe I was outsmarted by a little girl."

The couple ignored him.

Bella watched as Edward loosened the drawstring of his scrubs, giving the obvious tent a little rub. "As much as I would love to explore this strange fantasy _you _seem to have, you're still weak as you're still going through the transformation."

Edward grabbed her, hauling her up on the table her rested on earlier. He hadn't enjoyed that part of the plan, she looked dead, and in essence, was dead. "I need to remove the image of you on this table…"

She cradled his precious face and whispered his name. "I understand, Edward." Their kind could procreate in theory, and with Edward still in the middle of his change, it would be safe." She stripped off his blue top, nibbling on his neck and reveling in his groan. "You can't come inside me."

He nodded and pulled out a condom of his pocket. "I uh, brought one just in case."

She laughed and used her hands to lower his scrubs enough wrapped her fingers around his cock. "Please tell me you didn't fantasize fucking a corpse because that's a deal-breaker."

"Fuck no!" Edward shuddered and cupped her breasts to distract himself. They were the perfect handful with pretty nipples. "Since you told me what you were and we discussed this plan, I started to dream that a sexy vampire, you, woke up before I can start an autopsy and we fucked."

"That sounds like a porn."

"Probably." Edward chuckled and slipped his hand between her thighs. "God, even as a vampire, you're so warm here."

Bella moaned and let her head fall back, her fingers tightening around his length, and putting on the condom. "Get inside me."

"Fucking finally." Edward groaned as he pushed her hand away and pulled her ass to the edge of the table. Every nerve ending electrified as he slipped inside her, his pulse skyrocketed, his blood boiling and it was his version of heaven. "I had no idea it would be this good."

"Just wait until the bloodlust gets too much, then we're going to have a lot of fun." She whispered words to tease him, the bite of her teeth on his neck made him lose his mind. He fucked her harder, sweat broke out on his chest and back. "Is that what you want, Edward?" Her teeth scraped over his thunderous pulse along his neck. "For me to bite you as you fuck me?"

"Fuck!" Edward cried out as her teeth finally cut into his skin. Something powerful ran down his spine, his limbs shaking from the need for more leverage. He got his wish as she tossed him on the table, straddling his hips, taking him inside him, all the while her mouth continued to suck his blood from her bite.

The metal groaned under their combined weight and powerful strokes of their hips. His hands curved around her ass, moving her with ease, his cock thrusting harder from beneath her. "So good."

She moaned and pulled back, her eyes closing in ecstasy. Drops of his blood coated her tongue and the corner of her lips. He groaned and sat up, pulling her legs around his waist and thrusting his tongue in her mouth.

Though their kind did not require blood to survive, they could indulge in it while in throes of passion. Feed off each other once his transformation was complete, for now, he would enjoy her bloodlust and the sex that came with it.

He watched in awe as she rode his cock hard, rolling her gorgeous hips over his. The tips of her hair tickled his thighs, enhancing the experience and she said it would only get better. Her hands pulled his from her hips and led them to her breasts, biting her lip until it bled.

"A taste of what's to come."

Edward watched her as he took her bottom lip between his own and swiped his tongue along the delicate skin. Something exploded before his eyes, his body lighting up from inside, as hers took him for the ride of his life.

They came together within moments, out of breath, and thoroughly sated.

"Edward," she gasped and then accidentally knocked James's head off the table. It rolled several times, until it faced them, laying on its side.

It looked at them and winked.

* * *

**AN: My mind is a strange, strange place. I honestly didn't think I'd post this before midnight but somehow I did. The week has been hell, but I'm powering through it. If all goes according to plan, I can spend my birthday at Starbucks writing and chilling. The perfect day, lol. Thanks for reading! Also I'm st****ill open to more ideas. I have the Lllorana soon, the conclusions to The Storm and The Dark Hallway. Any ghost stories? I'm considering E/B open a mystery box, not sure if you ever heard of these things. But they're mostly found on the dark web and contain often disturbing and sometimes haunted items. Any urban legends in your area? See you soon.**


	10. Monster Mash I

**Monster Mash I**

* * *

Edward stood in the middle of the dark plaza, among many college students, oblivious to the curious onlookers who avoided him. His eyes were closed and hidden from the humans that he often ignored despite the low hum of their thoughts that constantly barraged his mind.

There in the center of the thriving student plaza, he caught the scent that had him standing immobile. It was only when a human had cast him a wary look, wondering how someone could stand without moving for over ten minutes, did he move from the spot.

He turned away from the scent, for he was sure that whoever it belonged to he'd kill for the fragrant blood that flowed in the owner's body. Before the thought had even completed in his mind, he'd turned on his heels in an instant and followed the scent that called to him as no other had in his long existence.

It was wrong he knew to follow such a scent. The likelihood that it belonged to someone that would deserve none of his mercy was little. There was a lingering scent of raspberries that accompanied it, another that was uniquely feminine. Though there were many women that he'd met in his hunts that were capable of acts of evil, he had never taken one. He was taught to never strike a woman at a young age, in his human life, so he could not do it in this one. He had, however, led investigators to those women – anonymously of course.

The chance that the female with the deadly scent was evil was slim and he knew he couldn't act upon his desire to quench his thirst upon her. However, it did not mean he could not savor the scent, perhaps even taste it on his tongue if he was closer to its source. _Maybe_, he thought, _I could be strong enough_. At the moment, he knew he wasn't.

Yes, Edward decided. He would find the owner, befriend her and if he could find a fault in her, maybe it would justify her death. Maybe he'd fight it – maybe.

.

.

.

* * *

It had taken most of the night to find the vessel that held the enchanting blood. By the time Edward had come upon it, it was late into the evening. And the girl, he was sure of that now, had already entered an apartment complex near the campus.

Apartment 4ER, the irony was not lost on him. Though he hadn't managed to find out her name other than Swan on her mailbox or what she looked like, he was sure he had found her voice. Or at least what he thought was her voice within the small one-bedroom apartment.

The sound of water running and falling upon cheap glassware assaulted his ears. "Yes, Angela," she said softly, to someone on the phone. Closing his eyes in concentration, he heard the low hum of the phone beneath the voice that replied to the girl's answer.

"_I wish you could've come home,"_ the woman said on the other side of the line. _"We'd love to see you."_

"I know, Ang," she said with a long sigh. "Between work and school, I hardly have time for a long weekend. I promise I will be there for Thanksgiving."

"_I certainly hope so and that is not only because your turkey always comes out better."_

The girl within the tiny apartment laughed softly and Edward heard the faucet turn off. He conjured up an image of a simple woman, perhaps blonde since it seemed to be the majority in the area. The laugh that tumbled forth was a little raspy, so in his mind's eye, he'd saw a taller than average woman, perhaps shapely. Though that meant little to him.

It would be easy enough to charm her the following day to talk to him, to allow him to take her somewhere that no one would hear her scream. He shook the thoughts from his head, it was best not to fantasize since he'd never act upon it.

_Right?_ It was wrong, he reminded himself. She was innocent.

He heard the click of the phone and knew the girl was alone. Curiosity had him climbing the side of the stucco building, his nails lightly embedded into the rough material. Under the guise of several trees, he trekked toward the girl's window.

Unexpected, he heard the rough whine of metal against metal as she opened the window. Why hadn't he heard her thinking about doing such a simple act? Thankful for the cover of a flowerbox beneath her window, he held hissed as he saw her fingers curl around the sill and lean out. With her so close, her fragrance robbed him of his breath.

She breathed deeply and Edward desperately wanted to take in that lungful of air with her, to breathe her in. If he had, he knew it would shatter his already battered control. And the girl would've been dead within minutes, only because he'd savor it for as long as he could. He knew, deep inside him, he'd never find another with blood so perfect for him.

"Another night," she said softly, the wind drifting, carrying her words away. She sighed when her phone rang again. Turning from the window, Edward noticed that she hadn't closed the window. Carefully poised beneath the flowerbox, he heard her growl impatiently.

"Jake, this isn't a good time," she answered without waiting for her caller to greet her.

"_It's never a good time,"_ Jake said gravely, his voice easily heard for Edward through the phone line. _"If you'd give me a chance to explain – "_

The girl laughed, but there was no warmth or affection behind it as when she spoke with the woman from before. "I understood the consequences of being with you, even expected that it would end eventually. I never gave enough of myself to you completely for that reason and another, so when I say that I understand, I mean it."

"_I do love you,"_ he tried.

"Maybe, but not in the same way you feel for her. What you want is to have your cake and eat it, too. Sorry, Jake, but I'm not interested."

"_You have to understand that I never – "_

"Oh, I do. I understood the reason perfectly, what I hadn't expected was to find you in bed with her less than a day after you met her, much less walk in on it." Before he could respond, she continued. "And I told you when our relationship changed that I wasn't sure that I could love you that way, and in the time we were together, I never truly was there. And damn it, I tried."

"_I know,"_ he huffed. _"And maybe that's why it's so fucking easy for you to get over me."_

"Christ," the girl hissed and Edward could hear her stomp toward the refrigerator. When he chanced a glance inside, it took a moment to realize that he was staring at the most perfect ass in small grey cutoff sweats and gorgeous legs. She bent to look inside her small fridge, moving things from side to side as she pursued the shelves.

"It wasn't easy. I lost my best fucking friend, asshole," she snapped, hanging up the phone with a hard press of a button on her cordless phone. "Hanging up is much more dramatic when there were cords involved. Right, Romeo?"

A tiny mewl in answer came from just inside the window before the girl turned Edward had already hidden beneath the flower box. Stucco crumbled around his fingers; the building was in desperate need of repair.

"What has you so riveted outside the window?" she asked the tiny calico that sniffed the around the window, placing a small paw on the flowerbox. "Oh no, there no escaping this time."

The kitten complained verbally, hissing and scratching at its owner. Even without breathing, Edward was all too aware of the tempting burst of her taste in the air, and now on his tongue. He almost groaned audibly but managed to contain it. If he moved, he did not doubt that the girl would see him. It cost him dearly to remain as still as possible when all he wanted was to pounce and lick the speck of blood that graced her arm and longed to do much more.

When the screech of metal meant that she'd closed the window, Edward let himself drop before he did something he'd regret. He hissed when he finally allowed himself to breathe and the pungent scent of freshly spilled blood washed over him. In seconds he left her building behind, moving much too fast for human eyes to see him.

He ran until he reached a larger city, almost fifty miles away from the tempting blood. Once there, he stalked the alleys and clubs until he found what would have to make due. He gorged himself on three vile human males that had attempted to assault a young Hispanic woman outside a bar.

It wasn't enough.

.

.

.

* * *

Edward waited in the shadows that surrounded her building the following morning. When she emerged, he found that she was nothing that he had imagined.

Instead of blonde hair, she had rich mahogany waves that reached the middle of her back. The leggy woman he had only a glimpse of the previous night was shorter than he had anticipated, too. She would barely reach his chin and for some unknown reason, her height appealed to him.

Though she was alone, she wore a small smile upon her lips. It almost appeared to be the kind that held secrets. As if the fact that he heard not one single thought from her mind hadn't been enough to entice him. The puzzle she presented him would be the first that intrigued him in his lonely existence.

Why did she bite her lip in such a way? Her shoulders were drawn forward as if she was on constant guard. Why? _Surely_, Edward thought, _I am much too far for her instincts to have indicated that danger was nearby._ When the young woman looked over her shoulder toward the window of her apartment, she smiled. Curious, Edward looked to see what had grabbed her attention.

It was either her cat that sat on the windowsill or the man in the apartment above her. Whichever one, he found it irritating that he couldn't figure out which one she sent that beautiful smile to. It hadn't helped that the man arrogantly thought it was for him.

.

.

.

* * *

Edward followed the human girl for the rest of the week, then a month. He hid in the shadows of buildings and trees and had even considered enrolling in college to be closer. It was foolish since he hadn't needed to have a permanent residence so close to populated areas before.

Furthermore, the thought of being in a classroom full of inane students with their thoughts bombarding him made him shudder. Every time he looked up information on classes, he convinced himself it wasn't worth it.

He shouldn't want to be in her life, it could only lead to her destruction. The thought of her cold, pale and lifeless did not appeal to him in any way and left him morbidly bitter. Since her scent crossed his path, he'd taken too many lives. Though they deserved it, he felt the reason for his gluttony was because of her. He should hate her for his weakness, but every time he tried to conjure the emotion if fizzled quickly.

It wasn't fair to blame her. It was his weakness, something he detested and if it kept her safe then he'd kill all those in his path to ensure her life. He was sure had she known what he'd done to keep her alive that it would make her feel guilty.

He also found that she wasn't evil in any way that mattered. Sure, she stole cable television, thanks to the tenant that had the apartment above her. He offered to hook her up, even though she said no. It was hardly a huge offense and not enough reason to kill her. However, the monster within Edward had added the tiny infraction to his list of reasons to take her life. There weren't many and he felt it was a rather pathetic reasoning.

The girl was very responsible. She'd refuse to go to a party if she had homework or needed to study. She called home twice a week. She signed up for a three-mile walk for a good cause and looked for a job to help with expenses and volunteered several hours a week.

What she made up in goodness she lacked in other ways, she had no sense of self-preservation. Her eyes always stared straight ahead or at her feet while she walked around everywhere since she had no vehicle. The woman was a magnet for trouble or a moving object, everything seemed to gravitate toward her.

Once she stumbled across a flag football game between several men and a ball had flown toward her head, completely unaware with her nose in a book. If it hadn't been for Edward, it would've hit her square in the face. He had barely deflected it undetected, though there was a brief moment where he could've sworn, she had seen him.

Thankfully she had brushed off the moment and shyly handed the ball to a boy that came up running to her apologizing. The incident had given Edward an insight into the girl, her name, Isabella, who preferred Bella.

Bella Swan.

Another incident that confirmed Bella's vulnerability was when she wasn't looking where she was going and was almost hit by a car. Edward had called out her name without thought and it had prevented her from stepping onto the crosswalk that would've ended with her blood splattering the car and asphalt. He had hidden in an alley when she looked for whoever that called to her.

It was taking a great deal of control to stay away from her. For every question, he was able to answer, a hundred more pop up. Why did she order a cinnamon roll with raisins if she removed the fruit? She did the same thing with jalapeños on her pizza. She was a mystery that he longed to solve and hated that her mind was closed to him.

It was a Friday night and while the student park was far from dead, there weren't as many people as usual. Edward had spent the previous hour listening to her sing to herself as she cooked and cleaned her apartment. The notes were full and rich, making his skin itch for an entirely different reason.

Not to pounce and end the thirst that constantly plagued his mind but to sit to listen and sing along with her. He wanted to watch her mouth form every word, the quiver of her throat and the clench of her abdomen, as she sang. He had never given much thought to sexual desire. He had never understood it since he had yet to crave another intimately.

It hadn't helped that his only basis for sexual desire was through the sick men that Edward had killed through the years. He was new to the whirlwind of emotions, and he had yet to meet her.

Edward watched as Bella exited her apartment with a book in her hand and the other pressed a phone to her ear. He stood near the bench that she usually sat in when she visited the park, hidden by trees and a retaining wall.

Anyone who had come near the bench gave it a wide berth, constantly looking over their shoulders for the threat that their instincts said was near. It was something that Edward was used to seeing whenever he stood too close to any human. Those that managed to sit on the bench never remained more than a couple of minutes and only when they shuddered in fear had they left. All except Bella, she seemed completely oblivious to him and it unnerved him and pissed him off.

He was a vampire, surely that alone would cause her instincts to have her move away from him and not closer. She seemed not to have any instinct at all. He was scary, wasn't he? He had, after all, killed almost a dozen men since he'd first inhaled her decadent scent.

As to prove his assumption she smiled at whatever the person on the other line said and sat down on the bench without a care in the world. Her long legs stretched in front of her, the hem of her shorts reaching mid-thigh, all that skin made his fingers itch to stroke it.

_She'd be so soft_, he thought, and instantly shame filled him. She deserved so much more than what he was doing, watching her without her knowledge. It was time to attempt to talk to her.

Edward took several deep breaths to help acclimate to her scent and calm down his nerves. He walked around from the other side so Bella would see his approach. However, she hardly reacted to him, which he didn't understand. Many of the females and at times males had always given him an appreciative glance as they walked by, even if he scared them at the same time, too.

Bella seemed too entranced by her book that she started reading after ending her phone call.

Edward stopped at the other end of the bench and watched her from the corner of his eye. She had yet to look up at him. How could she be so unobservant? As he sat, he went over all possible openings to start up a conversation.

"Nice night," she said without a glance in his direction.

Surprised, Edward listened for any matching "inner voice" from the thoughts that swirled around him. Clearing his throat, he responded, "It is. I suspect that it will get cooler at the end of the month approaches."

Weather? That was the brilliant conversation he could come up with. Childishly he thought, _she started it first. _

"It has been a rather hot summer," she said with a tiny smile. "You from Seattle originally?"

"No, from Chicago," he answered. "You?"

"Born a few hours from here, but raised in Arizona."

"It must be cold for you," he mused.

She turned and smiled at him. "Normally, yes." She gave him a long look, not bothering to roam her eyes over the rest of him. Her brown eyes, which had looked dark from a distance, were warmer than he thought originally. "But I've gotten used to the weather here."

"Edward," he said, extending his hand for her to take. "Edward Masen."

Her smile widened. "Bella Swan," she offered. "But you already knew that."

Thinking quickly, he grinned in response. "You are right. I saw you last week and asked around." She considered him for a moment and shook his hand. His groan wasn't audible, but it rumbled in his chest. The softness of her skin surprised him; the warmth unmanned him. "What gave me away?" he asked to cover the awkward silence while he held her hand.

"Your smell actually," she said, laughing softly. "I've smelled it all around campus. I couldn't figure out where it's coming from."

Edward laughed and mockingly smelled his jacket, causing her to laugh more. He loved the rich sound that made her eyes brighten. "Time for my monthly bath."

She blushed and shook her head. "I didn't say it was a bad smell, but if it's been a month, then yes, please do." It seemed that when she pulled her hand away from his, that she'd done it reluctantly,

Edward liked that – a lot.

Tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, Bella turned on the bench to face him. He tried to remain a gentleman and not look as she raised her lovely leg on the bench between them. "Do you go to school here?" she asked.

Finding a plausible excuse, he said, "No, I do not, but I have a few friends here."

"Ah, not a college student." She studied him for a few moments and grinned. "Independently wealthy?"

Edward was one for the finer things in life and that included expensive shoes and clothing. Though at that moment he was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a plaid shirt, they were all a higher quality name brand.

"Something like that," he said. "You?"

"Independently wealthy? No, but I am a student here."

"What's your major?"

And that was the first time they talked. Every night for three weeks, Edward met her at that same bench and discussed anything. It was nothing too personal, but enough to take up a couple of hours of their day. Edward looked forward to those hours since he couldn't be with her for the rest of the day.

When one night, Bella wasn't at their bench, Edward worried. He had taken the time to hunt the previous night as usual but had to buy furniture for his apartment he recently leased since he had little use for them before. He had hoped to invite Bella over soon since they had exchanged phone numbers.

Edward had little use for his cell phone, mostly to call those who maintained any of his homes in different parts of the world. He quickly typed out a message to her, wondering if he was simply jumping to conclusions.

Within seconds she replied. But it wasn't her.

**_Hello, hunter. She's lovely. Time to play._**

Instantly his mind conjured up memories. Humans weren't the only beings he hunted, in the past, he'd come upon vampires viciously tearing into innocents and put a stop to them with efficiency and without mercy. A part of him knew that it was wrong since he also hunted humans, but the other part of him said he only killed those that were vile and without souls.

There had been one incident the previous year, he had come across a trio of vicious vampires killing a small family that was camping. Before they could take the lives of the children, Edward used his mind-reading ability to counter their every move, fight them for a considerable time as one of the few vampires he trusted ran away with the children. He managed to kill two of the three before the third managed to escape, without a hand. A vampire couldn't regrow parts, but they could reattach ripped off limbs. He heard through several nomads of a sadistic vampire that had taken parts of various vampires for some reason.

Why? What did he want with Bella? To toy with him? The connection, to nomad only known as James, and the red-headed viper Victoria was more than acquaintances or even lovers. They were mates. It didn't explain why he would take Bella. Other than talking, they had no other contact.

_She's your mate. Now go and claim her before it's too late. _

The thought ran through his mind over and over, and each cycle brought on a barrage of images. Of his Bella dead because of that sick sonuvabitch, her blood dripping down his chin as he laughed and laughed. Another figure stood behind James; one he could barely recognize as the pieces didn't seem to fit together properly.

Victoria. James had collected the pieces before the fire Edward set to destroy her had ravished them, and whatever he couldn't find that night, he sought out using other female vampires ever since. He created something like Frankenstein's monster out of vampire parts.

Impossible. It wasn't possible. Yet, somehow, it was real, and his Bella was in the hands of monsters.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the missed night yesterday, I, unfortunately, got hit with a massive migraine and could not finish working on it. This nicely sets up the other two parts, one that is already written and likely posted next week. I did get some Starbucks time for my birthday today, hoping for some more soon. Tomorrow is another part for Cursed and then The Dark Hallway. See you soon. **


	11. Cursed II

**Story Eleven—Cursed II**

* * *

_He's gone! _

Rosalie was clueless about what just happened, so I kept my head down while talking for a few minutes, and promising to meet for lunch as planned. The _presence _had disappeared and if my assumption was right, it would take time to gather energy and reappear. After that, he'd remember a stupid girl screamed at him from across the room, and he'd find me.

They always found me.

I thought my curse to see and hear the dead had stopped shortly after I had grown breasts. Since then, there had been feelings of something nearby, and even prophetic dreams but nothing like when I was a child.

The best thing was to get as far away from the library though I doubted it would work for long. I didn't like the idea of the spirit coming to look for me and constantly looking over my shoulder. The library was my turf and it would be best to face it than run away.

I made my way to the restricted section of the library, used the room key card to get into the isolated room filled with old books. I breathed in deeply, my slice of heaven.

A box of gloves sat on a table nearby and I snapped on a pair. My fingers skimmed a row of books, their leather spines slightly worn but still beautiful. For almost an hour I explored the possibilities and different worlds the pages held, then removed a few to take notes. I had the room for another two hours and would use every single minute of it.

I hummed a haunting but unfamiliar tune, getting lost in the work as usual. Unsure of how much time passed, I noticed goosebumps along my forearm. Awareness and the smallest bit of fear crawled down my spine. For a moment, my ears rang for a second, as if they switched frequencies.

Then something stirred my hair along my back, the air around me much cooler.

"Stop breathing down my neck." I looked over my shoulder and found no one there. This was what I hated, the uncertainty, the unknowns, whether they were good or bad.

Another minute passed and nothing happened. Was it just my imagination because I was waiting for something to happen? Someone would need a key card and at the moment, I had one of two, and at least another hour reserved.

The room was supposed to be cold, but according to the thermostat nearby, it was much colder than normal. Something was in the room with me, it was time to draw it out.

"Do you see the lamp there across the room?"

No one answered, but the way her hair started to stand on end indicated something or someone was listening.

"Use it to harness more energy to manifest a form. Not too much though, from what I remember, it's quite painful, the reasons why are lost on me."

The domed light over my head flickered, the one across the room doing the same a few seconds later as if he was moving. The lamp I left on went out for a moment, then glowed brightly for several seconds.

"That should be enough."

The lighting started to dim in the room, the spirit she'd seen earlier took shape. Its corporeal form filling out, darkening and becoming opaque. "Can you see me?" His smooth voice had an echo, something I had never encountered in the past.

"Yes." I closed my book and rose to my feet. "I' not willing to help you considering how rude you were earlier."

He tugged on his already chaotic hair. It stood in every direction, though it appeared to be styled. Lucky asshole. I had to go through an hour to straighten my hair.

"I didn't know! She really couldn't hear me? What is going on?"

"You're dead." I found, even as a child, there was no beating around the bush. Not when it came to ghosts. Sometimes learning the truth made them disappear, others became angry, and others simply sobbed.

I wasn't sure what category the good-looking asshole would be under.

He sat down, staring blankly at the wall. "If I'm a ghost, how can I sit down on a chair?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure why you can go through walls, but sit down without any trouble. Believe or not, I don't have conversations with ghosts about these kinds of things."

"What's your name?" He asked, his gaze turning toward me. His eyes were an incredible green, even for a ghost. "I'm Edward Cullen, sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier."

"I'm Bella, ghost-talking, weirdo extraordinaire." I considered for a moment. "I'm still not sure if I should help you."

The ghost smirked and if he wasn't dead and an asshole, I'd be asking him out for coffee.

"Sorry about yelling at your friend. For the last three days I've been trying to talk to people and no one could hear me. I sincerely thought she was ignoring me and going crazy."

"She could've been ignoring you, it's what women sometimes have to do, and it would mean it's best to move on."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know, again, my only excuse is frustration."

"Three days only?" I had to ask. "Is that how long ago you died?"

"I don't remember." His brow tightened, looking at me with those gorgeous eyes. "Could it be longer?"

I shrugged. "It's possible, time means little in this form."

"I know there's a reason I'm still here." Edward rubbed his jaw and I gasped when his pale skin darkened to purple.

"Your jaw!" I locked the book away and removed my gloves, making my way toward him. The chill in the air increased the closer I got to him and made me shiver.

"Stop taking energy." Instantly, as if he understood, his form became more transparent. "Thank you, if I'm around you and others like you, I tend to get sick. Including awful migraines and I learned since then that's the reason why."

"I understand, I don't want to hurt you, or anyone for that matter." Something dark came over him, his entire body dimming more. "Scratch that, I want the man that did this to me to pay." He rubbed at his jaw and winced.

"Did what?" I sat across from him, not getting too close in case he lost control of himself.

"Kill me." He laughed, spreading his arms wide. More bruises formed around each eye. "Considering my age, I doubt I died of natural causes."

I crossed my arms over my chest, appreciating that the kept his eyes on my face and not my chest. "What makes you think it was a man?"

"I'm six-four and on an LSU Tigers championship baseball team, it wasn't a girl who did this to me." He lifted his shirt, a large entrance hole on his left side, a trickle of blood oozed out of it. "I've been here for hours, why am I just seeing all this?"

I sighed and shook my head. "You know that you're dead and now your mind is trying to tell you, how, when, and why."

He looked up at me, his eyes widened and they pleaded. There was no other way to describe the emotions in his gaze. "Will you help me figure it out?"

I nodded, something he said bothered me. "Did you say LSU Tigers?"

He looked confused. "Yes. How can you live in Chicago and not know the Tigers?"

I slapped my forehead when it came to me. "We're in Seattle, Edward."

He started to shake his head, rising to his feet. The dark thing I saw earlier in his eyes intensified. "That's not possible. Why would _I _be here and not back home with my parents? My sister?"

"I don't know, but first let's find out how you died." I made my way back to my things and picked up my phone.

"What is that thing? A Blackberry?"

_A what? _I stilled and looked up at him, the lights flickered overhead. "Edward, what year do you think it is?"

He snorted. "What? It's the year 2009."

I dropped my phone and sat down in the chair. "Edward, it's 2019."

His form started to lose shape the moment the words were out of my mouth. "It can't be! What are you talking about?"

All the lights in the room turned brighter until I had to look away. I screamed when they started to explode one by one. Not looking back, I exited the room, only to find the entire library was lit up, people screaming.

I turned back, Edward was floating in the middle of the room, eyes a dark black and, his mouth opened in a silent scream. Too lost and devastated to have learned the truth, he finally lost it.

More lights exploded. "Edward! Stop!" I was too close, realizing it too late. Darkness started to come over my vision, the room swayed, then I fell and, on the way down, the table made it really fucking hurt.

_Stupid hot ghost._

* * *

**AN: Yay! I got it up in time. Tomorrow is another part of The Dark Hallway. So glad you're enjoying this. Thanks for reading. Here's hoping for some Starbucks time tomorrow.**


	12. The Dark Hallway III

**The Dark Hallway III**

* * *

Bella would need to resort to fighting dirty soon. It had been three weeks since Edward jumped to her rescue. Three weeks of avoiding her at all costs, she even figured he snuck up his fire escape on more than one occasion.

She did what she promised, kept the nightmares from plaguing him. There was little she could do about the memories. Some were undoubtedly good and others horrific. Their shared past was slowly coming back to haunt him. It also drove her insane.

Now that contact had been made, the desire to complete their connection would consume them. A hundred years she sought him, looking into every dark corner of the world. She eliminated some of those that cursed them, keeping her away from him and vice versa. If he continued to fight her at every turn, she would have to return to hunting. She wouldn't rest until she knew he was safe from their influence.

It burned her to know he likely had lovers since their forced separation, though she would never blame him for it. _They _are the ones to blame.

Edward's partner, Alec, had paid a visit more than once to give her follow up information on her case. Paul hadn't returned home and his neighbors didn't like him much. Others at the bar corroborated her statement, he often came around, bugged a few women, and seemed to always look for a fight. His interest in Bella had given all the employees a bad vibe and often walked together to their cars.

Someone pounded on her door, at three in the morning. Never a good thing, but she couldn't ignore it. She slipped on a robe and ran her fingers through her hair in case Edward stood on the other side of the door.

She peeked through the peephole, only to find it was dark. The hallway lighting had been replaced. "Who's there?"

"Open the fucking door, Bella." There was no mistaking the gravel and angry tone of her lovely new neighbor.

She tipped her chin up and swung it open, keeping her features neutral. Hard to do when a six-four-foot, half-naked, scruffy-looking male, add the fact that he had a thin sheen of sweat coating his chest…yeah, she gaped like an idiot.

A hundred dry spell would do that to a person.

His hands were on each side of the doorjamb, his bare arms also glistening with sweat. She nearly expired at the swan on the inside of his bicep, a recent addition. He leaned down enough for her to feel his breath on her cheek.

"What the hell are you doing to me?"

She played innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about?"

"Don't you? You promised to keep the nightmares away."

She shrugged. "I have been, and let me tell you, it hasn't been easy."

"Oh yeah," he hissed, grabbed the back of her head and keeping her from moving away. "Then why have I been having filthy fucking dreams of you? You have something to do with that?"

Bella cocked an eyebrow. "How filthy?"

"I've been celibate since I woke up without knowing a goddamn thing about myself. So, everything concerning fucking seems filthy to me."

"Well then, that means our connection is as strong as ever."

Edward invited himself in, turning their bodies until her back pressed against the closed door. "What are you to me?"

"Everything." Not one iota of doubt filled his eyes.

"What am I to you?" The growl in his voice indicated how she answered could speed things up.

"Everything."

His free palm landed hard against the door by her head. "Do you still want to know how filthy, little girl?"

Bella smirked, splaying her robe open. His eyes immediately looked between them, a sound that was a cross between a groan and growl fell from his lips. "Why don't you show me?"

"Fucking gladly." His mouth slanted over hers, nothing sweet about their first kiss. It was more of an introduction of what was to come. Warm and hard, slick and wet, deep strokes of his tongue along hers. She panted, he cursed between every breath, diving back for more.

Thunder clapped overhead, a sudden storm pouring over the building. Lightning brightened her dark apartment until it appeared as if it was the middle of the day. They pulled apart as a shadow moved toward them.

"Stop!" Bella stood in front of Edward, holding up her hand. "The curse has been broken, he can't stay away, you no longer have power over us."

The figure cloaked black and shadows, pulled down its hood and revealed a face too angular to call beautiful, yet they couldn't look away. Skin a pale as the moon, a sinister smile on cruel lips. He held up a finger, shaking it from side to side. "You have exactly one hundred years to find one another and confess your true love. One week is all you have left, my dear. Shall I remind him of the cost?"

Edward stepped out behind Bella, keeping her close, the need to protect as prominent as the day they met. "What is the cost?"

"She will be mine and you will walk the Earth, lost and missing a part of you forever."

"Who are you?" Edward stepped forward, but Bella captured his arm, shaking her head.

"You can't hurt him." She swallowed hard at the anger on Edward's face, but it didn't appear to be directed at her.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a god."

The man disappeared in a flash of lightning, electrifying the room.

Edward remained still for several minutes and it worried Bella. "If he's a god, then what are we?"

Bella sighed. "Immortals. We can see and hear the dead, our instincts know when trouble is near, and we can wield magic. Immortals are created for two purposes, collect souls and send them where they belong, and to serve as a neutral party if one shall be needed to maintain the balance between good and evil."

"So not vampires? We don't need to drink blood to survive."

"No, but they do exist, so do werewolves, that's what Paul was."

"That was my first instinct when I saw him blur by me, but I thought I was being stupid."

Bella hummed. "You probably had a lot of similar thoughts in the last hundred years, but always brushed it off."

Edward tugged on his hair, facing her and then promptly closed her robe, tying the sash tight. "Every single time. Was I right?"

Bella shrugged. "Probably about eighty percent of the time, maybe a little more. Your senses were dulled because of the curse."

"Why were we cursed?"

A tear slipped down her cheek. "Gods get bored and when that happens, they do stupid shit, hang with the rift raft as they often see Immortals. You were at a card game with _others _and lost a lot of souls. You manage to win them all back, which pissed him off, but then he dangled a carrot you couldn't resist. A chance for us to have children if you were willing to test our connection."

"We're in this mess because of me? You mean to tell me what the hell I'd been through for the last hundred years was because I was manipulated by some god!"

Bella shrugged again, realizing she had to distract him. Since their kind could wield magic, if their emotions were compromised, it could lead to something disastrous.

He walked away from her, tugging on his hair and cursing under his breath. The moment he reached a wall, his fist went through it and with every hit, thunder continued to fill the sky. Great, big roars that caused human's ears to ring, windows to rattle and shatter, the entire block of cars with alarms went off, sending people out into the street.

People stared and pointed at the apartments above the café, the building stood in the middle. The windows glowed a brilliant white, flickering as Edward's anger started to grow.

If Bella didn't do something soon, the entire block would go up in flames. Another immortal had lost control in San Francisco in the last century, killing hundreds. If it happened again, the council would eliminate all Immortals.

She did the only thing she could think of, threw her arms around his intensely hot body, placed her lips over his and grabbed his cock.

* * *

**AN: There's one more part to this one, I think. We'll see. Anyway, next will be another part to Monster Mash then mystery box time. I love those weird-ass videos. Thanks for all the birthday love everyone. I got a couple of things, including a Starbucks card, hopefully, I can get some gas money this week and go write there. See you soon.**


	13. Monster Mash II

**Monster Mash II**

* * *

_Impossible. It wasn't possible. Yet, somehow, it was real, and his Bella was in the hands of monsters._

Where were the images coming from? From whom? Were they real or a figment of his imagination?

"They're real." A figure materialized from the shadows.

Edward had been lost in his thoughts he hadn't heard her approach. She almost took another step toward him but realized quickly he wouldn't like it. "Do you know who I am?"

"Alice, Carlisle had told me a lot about you." Though Edward had left Carlisle and his mate Esme over eighty years earlier, he always made a point to reach him a few times a year. He had never returned to them. "You can see the future."

"My visions are subjective. this is the future James envisions and will happen if we do nothing."

Edward's eyes narrowed in on the pint-size beauty. Luminous gold eyes met his blood-red ones, her dark hair as inky black as the night sky. "Us?"

Another vampire joined her; his fair skin marked with battle scars that no human had given him.

"Jasper, I presume."

He nodded. "We must stop him and the _thing _he created."

"Thing?" Edward opened his mind to their surroundings, finding another couple watching. "Tell your other siblings to come out. We have no time for games."

Emmett jogged up for the humans around them, laughing as if he was catching up with an old friend. "Good to hear it. We love Bella like a sister, she's Alice's best friend. She kind of saw you and her, you know, doing it."

_Interesting. _Edward cocked a brow. "I find that hard to believe."

Jasper smirked. "He's lying."

Emmett's immense hands clapped once, startling several people in the area. "Let's go get our Bellie back."

Rosalie, another of Carlisle's attempts to create a family, finally graced the group of vampires with her presence. "Bella's not going to be the most cooperative person, and we know she'd rather die than to let these sickos kill someone."

Alice sighed. "She's right."

"It could get her killed." Jasper shook his head. "That girl is such a magnet for trouble."

"Thank you! Someone here has finally said something that makes sense." Edward swirled around, facing each of them. "You all know Bella. I'm guessing the home town she's from is Forks?"

That was where Carlisle had settled in almost four years earlier.

Emmett stepped forward. "If you had stayed with Carlisle, you would've met Bella two years ago and got married.

"Married." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "All of you need to concentrate, think of all of your memories concerning Bella. Now."

Information was always vital in situations they found themselves in.

Rosalie rolled her eyes but did what he asked, the others soon doing the same. It wasn't long until he realized that once Bella decided to come to college in the city, their future unfolded in a vision.

It solidified once Edward crossed her scent and from the others thoughts, no one bet against Alice.

"And now? Has the future changed?" Would he succeed in saving her? Or would he spend eternity alone? There was no way in hell would he stay with Carlisle after losing her and a house full of mated couples. It would be torturous.

Alice shook her head. "Something's wrong, he keeps changing his mind, almost like he knows how my gifts work."

"It's possible, but do we know where he took her?" Edward breathed in deeply, catching Bella's scent, too faint to be recent. "She hasn't been here in hours."

"I didn't realize what was going to happen until seconds before he grabbed her." Alice's expression turned anguished as Jasper comforted her. "If she hadn't asked us to come up for a visit, we'd still be too far to help you."

The entire conversation had taken only three seconds, too long in Edward's opinion. Jasper insisted on knowing everything he knew about James before they searched for him.

"James has an uncanny hunting ability, which means he also knows how to hide his tracks. His mate, the one I suspect he has pieced together after likely saving her head from the fire, could find an escape out of any situation. If it hadn't been for her mate's life on the line, I wouldn't have been able to get my hands on her."

"So that means it time to go hunting?" Emmett was looking forward to a fight, considering his diet, he rarely got the adrenaline rush he had craved as a human. A fight with another vampire provided a challenge.

"If James is as observant as he seems to be, would he seek out parts of vampires with no gifts or those with them?" Rosalie's question posed a possible problem. "Is that gift transferred despite it only being a part?

Nothing like Victoria existed to their knowledge, they had no idea what they were facing.

Edward came to another realization. "Bella knows what you all are." _She knew I wasn't human. _How was she still allowed to live? The Volturi rarely allowed a human with vampire knowledge to live unless in their employ.

"Aro liked her." Alice shrugged as Edward looked at her with doubt. "We told him what her future holds for her and agreed to allow her to live for another year. We bumped into some guards in Seattle when she enrolled. She's to be presented in Italy to show we kept our promise in two years."

Edward nodded. "We don't have time for this. It can wait." He sniffed the air and they followed Bella's scent to the tree head had often watched her from until he willingly met her. "I can't track her from here."

The others were just as clueless, her scent just came to a stop.

A whiny sound growl erupted from nearby bushes, all the vampires, including Edward had to step back, the stench too much to tolerate for long. "What is that?"

"_Werewolf, to you leech." _A beast of a wolf emerged slowly, his dark reddish coat matted and coated with dirt and mud.

"He's a _shifter_ from a nearby reservation." Alice scrunched her nose, rubbing her temples. "No wonder my gifts are going haywire, you're here."

The wolf's snarl enlarged, showing off an impressive set of canines. It kept his eyes on Edward, then disappeared into the bushes. After a few seconds, a young man, his dark skin with red undertones on full display.

"This is Bella's ex?" Edward couldn't keep his distaste from coloring his tone. The boy wore only a pair of cutoff jeans. "Doesn't he own a shirt?"

The boy rolled his dark brown eyes. "Jealous much."

"Considering she caught you cheating, not really," Edward smirked when the boy he knew as Jacob winced. The others hadn't known the specifics of their breakup.

"He did what?" Emmett growled and his mate was just as defensive. "I don't care if she wasn't ready to let you have her. You should've ended the relationship before you touched your imprint, asshole!"

Someone whistled hard and long, startling other humans in the plaza. They turned to Alice. "We're not going to save her measuring dicks right now. We need to work together if we intend to save her. James likely doesn't know anything about shifter wolves, right?"

Edward shook his head. "He's always wanted to hunt a child of the moon, a _real _werewolf."

Jasper and Edward shared a look. "We could use Jacob as bait," Jasper thought it, Edward said it out loud.

"That could work if we knew where they'd taken her."

"I can help with that," another vampire, one that instantly put Edward on alert, his eyes a brilliant red. "My name is Garett, I'm a friend of Carlisle's, he called and said he'd be at least another hour." His dark unkempt hair gave him away as a nomad, one stuck in the late 1800s.

"How could you help?" Edward had only heard a few things about the vampire from Carlisle. He always sounded a bit like a hippy to him.

"I spent a lot of time with an African tribe and they have excellent tracking skills. Along with the dog's nose, we should be able to find them." His shaggy, dark hair shook along with his head. "And you don't have to worry about needing to feed on your mate." He rolled his almost golden eyes. "I met your cousins after paying a visit to Carlisle and changed my diet."

"Which is why I'm here." Kate stepped out from behind a building, taking her time to join them.

"Great, a family affair," Edward cursed. "This conversation has taken too long and Bella doesn't have much of it."

Kate looked at Alice when no one said anything in response. "You need to be prepared that we could be too late."

Edward turned away, ignoring their thoughts. His long, dark coat billowed around him as pushed away from their thoughts and focused on the hunt. If he took even a moment to think of what Bella could be going through, he'd lose her.

That wasn't an option. Aro liked her, but would he carry out Edward's wish if Bella was truly lost? He would ensure it if she didn't survive the night.

.

.

.

* * *

Bella tapped her fingers on her thigh, humming a tune to annoy James. She could pay for it dearly, well aware of the possibility. Yet, she needed the distraction from the thing watching her from the front seat of the van they'd stolen earlier.

When she first saw the creature James called his mate, the red-haired vampire looked like the others. Pale skin, rich hair color, and perfect bodies, that was until Victoria was in her face, sniffing her neck and licking her cheek.

A third of her head of hair was another color, a dark black that gleamed under all lighting, A closer look revealed cracks on her scalp as if it was pieced together. No staples to hold the parts, just a deep crevice that oozed something that smelled sickly sweet.

One of Victoria's shoulders and arms didn't match the skin tone or the freckles on the other. Bella swore the arm was longer than the other, too. The midriff top Victoria wore under a leather vest displayed a chunk of her torso that didn't match the rest of it, much like her head. The skinny jeans the vampire wore hid her legs, but Bella knew they weren't technically hers, the limp in her stride proved it.

Victoria also had no voice, though there was intelligence in her red eyes, she could only mimic what she wanted to say. James found it endearing and yet it annoyed him when she clung to his body.

Victoria started to use her hands again, trying to convey something.

James groaned as he drove into the night. He turned long enough to throw a book at Bella. The same one Victoria had sped through. "Start studying. You'll have to translate for her."

"Can't you read faster?"

The van swerved but he turned his onyx gaze on Bella. "Did I say you can talk? Read and learn now."

Something told Bella to shut up and do as he said, that she needed to buy some time. The voice stupidly sounded like Edward, the vampire she met and who Alice said would be a part of her future. Did he know she was gone? Was he upset that she hadn't been there for the nightly talks about the most mundane things? The vampire's walls had always remained a mile high, but she scaled them on occasion, slipping through his defenses.

The prize for her triumph, a smile or a chuckle.

She loved the stupid vampire and he didn't even know it.

"Fine, I'll learn." If James expected her to be Victoria's babysitter, he was mistaken.

James looked smug and arrogant as he turned his attention the road, finally. "Good and in a few hours, we'll call your boyfriend and see how he's doing."

"I don't have a boyfriend."

He smirked, their eyes meeting in the rearview mirror. His no longer appeared black, but a blood-red. Bella wasn't sure which one was better. A low growl came from Victoria right before she lunged toward her.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the delay, real life and all. My mother's surgery went well and my aunt is with her now, so I'm writing at Starbucks for a bit. Thanks for all the positive vibes and happy birthdays. See you soon.**


	14. The Lost

**The Lost**

* * *

Bella turned to her side, stilling when she felt her blanket shift behind her, someone slipping under the covers. All stealth-like, if it wasn't for her little brother's distinct scent of a boy and a hint of sweat, she would've screamed.

For the third night in a row, her brother Riley joined her in bed and left every morning before she "woke" up. He would pretend nothing happened as they settled in for breakfast before dropping him at school.

They lost their parents in a house fire last fall, it was just the two of them. Bella had packed up her apartment in the city in record time and moved back to her hometown to care for her brother. They rented an apartment at first, but they found an older house and used the insurance money from the fire. Riley's nightmares had taken a toll but they were becoming infrequent until recently.

She would have to bring it up with him and his therapist if didn't talk to her soon.

"I'll protect you, Bella." His whispered voice broke through the stillness. "I won't let her get you."

She stilled again, unsure if her imagination hadn't got the best of her. "Ri," she murmured, yawning for show. She could act if needed.

"You're dreaming…" His voice turned soft, soothing.

Bella swore her brother waved his hand around as if he wielded magic.

"Go back to sleep." Now she sounded like a vampire with a bad accent.

She shot up and turned on the lamp, surprising him and sending him tumbling off the bed. Her hand grabbed his arm and pulled him to safety before he hit the floor.

Unfortunately for the kid, he inherited their mother's clumsiness. She outgrew her state of unfortunate accidents during college. Her brother needed a few more years and maybe some sports to help him.

"I…uh…" Riley said, looking at her with only one eye, the other scrunched closed. Then he pretended to yawn. "Oh, I must be sleepwalking again."

Since their parents died, Riley insisted he was the man of the house and it was his duty to protect his big sister. Their parents had called him their miracle, oops baby, and the spitting image of their father Charlie Swan.

"Nice try, buddy." Bella sat up enough to hand him the glass of water on her nightstand. "Let me save you the trouble, I'm a very light sleeper." As a single woman in the city, she learned to be one.

"Not that light," he mumbled. Avoidance made him gulp down the water when she cocked an eyebrow. "There's something here."

Bella closed her eyes and sighed, "I know."

"Hold up." Riley's confusion soon turned to anger. "What do you mean by that?"

Bella wrapped her arms around her brother, hating the slight resistance in his body. She decided to pull back but then he seemed to melt against her.

She had to treasure these moments, the older he got, there would be precious few of them.

"It's time I tell you a story, something Dad would've told you in a few years."

If Riley had exhibited signs.

The kind of signs that he could see and hear the dead. All Swans had the gift as children, losing it in their late teens. Riley was the first child to show no signs in three generations.

She, along with their parents, had hoped it would remain that way.

"Then you know she wants us?" Riley's small body trembled for only a moment.

_She wants you, _Bella thought, but _she wants to kill me. _"Yes."

Somehow Riley knew she was lying.

"What are we going to do?"

"Call someone." She kissed the top of his head, the brown curls rich in color like his eyes.

"Who are we going to call?"

A wisecrack movie reference remained on the tip of her tongue. "Help, I'm going to call someone for help."

.

.

.

* * *

_**Three Days Later**_

Edward fell out of bed, something pounded his ears, then he realized someone knocked on his door and had been for a while. Everyone he knew was aware he slept all day, considering his occupation. If they dared to show up before noon, he'd be one unpleasant fucking asshole. It had to be the wrong door, he had no friends in the area.

He stretched once he was on his feet, swaying slightly at the head rush. The urge to take a leak changed his course toward the bathroom instead of the front door.

_See asshole._

"I know you're in there!" A woman's voice came through loud and clear, the walls posing no issues. She had a set of lungs.

Bet she's a screamer. Again, asshole.

Edward's past came back to haunt him for a moment. A one-night stand turned into a stalker a few years back and it resulted in the scars he wore like armor, and the first spirit he had to send to away through the veil.

"Please! I need your help, Mr. Masen." The voice broke for a moment as he washed his hands. He didn't bother putting on a shirt but slipped into a pair of jeans he found on the floor. She slapped at the door with the palm of her hand, a sob tearing through her. "I don't give a fuck what happens to me, but my little brother…"

Edward swung the door open quickly, getting an armful of woman. Had she been leaning against the door?

"Oh great, Klutzella is back."

He helped steady her, blocking her entrance into his place. "First, you fucked up by claiming you don't give a fuck what happens to you. They'll use that and manipulate you to give them what they want. You'll never get through this with that mentality. Understand."

She gaped but nodded after a moment.

"Second, your brother may be lucky, but any child over five years of age struggle in the foster system. I hope you give a fuck what happens to your brother if he loses you after he already lost his parents."

It was the most he said in a month or six months. Who's counting?

Edward rarely had to explain himself to anyone, people came to him aware of what he could do. Communicating with the living wasn't his strongest trait, it was dead last. His little speech would piss him off later, but it couldn't be avoided.

"May I come in?"

He moved aside and gesturing for her to have a seat. "Give me a few minutes. I need to find a shirt. Someone came by a bit early."

"The 'Get off my dick' shirt is clean and under the gray pillow on your bed."

Edward's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"

Bella shrugged. "I just know where lost things are." Her eyes, a brilliant hazel green, assessed him for a moment. They darkened to the color of her chestnut hair. "Your key to the safe is wedged between the wall and the right-back leg of your dresser. It fell there last month."

"Have you found anything else?"

"You despite changing addresses ten times in the last four years. Your disguises suck, despite the numerous aliases and hair color. I like your normal color better than black." Her eyes remained on his face, but she wanted to look at the rest of him.

He felt that urge in her.

He had to respect her control because he had none. He lost it all when got the armful of woman.

Edward didn't advertise, his business relied on word of mouth, and most of the time he stumbled upon cases, or they essentially fell on his lap. Which he wouldn't mind if she did.

"How can I help you, Miss Swan?"

"The local urban legend, the Lady in White, La Llorona, or whatever you want to call her, is determined to take my brother and kill me."

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**AN: I had little time to write today, but I made it! It looks like there will be two updates for this tomorrow if I can catch a break. Thanks, everyone!**


	15. Best Served Cold II

**Best Served Cold II**

* * *

"_Hi, Daddy." _

Charlie covered his mouth in shock, maybe some horror. It didn't prevent the sob from escaping. "How?" His eyes remained on his daughter, though she looked the same, every feature seemed sharper and her skinned looked different. He turned his attention back to the young man he met after Bella had died, and then volleyed between the two.

Their skin tone looked the same.

He had to sit down again, a wave of confusion washed over him, memories surfacing from a few months earlier. A night he spent drinking with his best friend, the first time he'd gone out since Bella's funeral. A drunken night at the reservation had loosened Billy Black's lips, leading to the real reason he disliked the Cullen family, or the Cold Ones as his people called them. It seemed there was truth in the legends.

"It's true," the young man confirmed his thought.

Edward realized for the thousandth time how difficult it was to read Bella's father. He kept everything contained, and only when needed, were his thoughts and memories accessed. Only then could he read Charlie's thoughts. He would be as powerful as his daughter if he so chose to join the family.

"You're a cold one and now so is my daughter." It would also explain why she made no move to approach him.

Bella looked uncomfortable and though Charlie wanted to know more about cold ones, he had more pressing questions. She hadn't moved since he walked into the room. Had the accident been a cover-up for the Cullens to take Bella away from him? Or did they save her?

"How and why did you save my daughter?"

Edward Cullen explained for several minutes how his sister had a vision of Bella being his future mate once she chose to move back to Forks. Only for Alice to have another and learned he'd lose her due to a fiery accident on the way to Washington. They had no time to notify anyone and get someone to listen, considering everything that enfolded in the vision, they weren't sure who to trust. Something had to be done immediately or she would've died. They used the event to fake her death, though, she would've died on impact if he hadn't intervened.

"Oh God," Charlie choked back a sob again.

Bella flinched and intended to comfort him, but Edward stilled her when she tried to get to her feet. She would need to breathe to talk and with her hunger, she couldn't take the risk.

Charlie appeared concerned, even understanding. "You're struggling because of me?"

Bella only nodded while Edward explained, "She's still considered a newborn. Bloodlust is often quite potent in our first year."

_Animal blood_, Charlie reminded himself, then sighed, "Keep going then."

"I saved her from the truck before it exploded, despite that, her injuries were extensive, so I gave her a choice. Die from her injuries or I'd change her and we'd spend forever together."

Bella laughed softly, smiling at her husband. "I thought he was an angel, but he looked so anguished. How could I say no? Considering the situation with my mother, I thought he meant I'd spend forever with him in heaven."

Edward watched his wife with awe. She showed no outward signs of her bloodlust with her father so close, considering they'd been testing her tolerance, she had to be thirsty.

"You chose to be changed. "

"After he explained what he meant, yes." Bella breathed deeply and smiled. "It's getting easier." She looked down and bit her lip. "I understand if you'd be too frightened, but could I get a hug, Dad?"

Edward sucked in a gasp and stared at his wife, rising to his feet with her to stay as close as possible. He delivered whispered words only to her. "I'll make sure you don't hurt him. Remember what we taught you."

_Move my shoulders to mimic breathing, slouch, fidget, blink, and on occasion complain about an ache or pain. _Bella smirked as she stood beside her husband, moving at an inhuman speed, fast enough to startle her father. "Sorry."

Charlie stood up as well, wondering if he'd fallen asleep in his chair and wandered into the strangest of dreams. It didn't matter to him what a cold one was, she was his daughter. "Come here, baby girl." He held up his arms and waited until she settled into his embrace.

She felt much sturdier, no more worrying about her tripping over her own feet. Even her scent had changed to something achingly similar to her childhood years, she always smelled like coming home. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Charlie kissed the top of her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, if I had answered your call, maybe I could've saved you." He would've made a few calls before he flew out there, the police down there would've helped her.

Edward shook his head after reading Charlie's thoughts. "They have friends on the force, it's why they were never arrested and convicted of Bella's murder. We've been working for months on the corruption there."

"That makes a lot of sense, I had difficulties getting anyone to listen to me down there." Charlie shook his head. "If you've been here all this time, why didn't you tell me sooner?" He pulled away and glared at his new son-in-law. "Your entire family helped me with the funeral, been helping me ever since. The pantry and fridge are always stocked, despite not buying groceries in weeks. My tires were replaced after having a blowout since I had forgotten to address the issues earlier."

Bella had never heard her father talk so much. "I asked them to help you, anything to help ease your pain. We couldn't tell you."

Charlie listened as Edward explained about the equivalent of vampire police, The Volturi Guard. Even now, despite being told what the Cullens were by someone else, his life was on the line.

His life.

Did they know what he had intended to do?

Charlie had to sit down, avoiding their eyes. "So, if Alice gets a vision, it's safe to assume that you know about…"

"It's why I came out of hiding." Bella glared at her father for the first time since arriving. "How could you throw your life away, Dad?"

"I thought I lost you, but it was nothing, _nothing, _compared to losing you the first time. I thought nothing would ever be worse than the night your mother took you from me until she did it again!"

Charlie was on his feet again, pacing and cursing. "If I'm going to die anyway, they need to be...they need to pay for what they did, not living it up in some huge house."

Edward and Bella shared a look. "You can't be involved, if you're seen leaving Forks, they could tie you to their unfortunate accident. Considering it's almost a year since Bella died, the police will come after you first."

Charlie tipped his chin up, defiant and determined. "I'm perfectly fine with those consequences."

"A former cop would not survive inside a prison, not for long. You know this." Bella shook her head. "We intend to get justice but it will not be pinned on you."

"Do you intend to kill them?" Charlie had to ask. Edward and Bella didn't have to share a look to figure out the answer. "It's better I don't know then."

"My sister will continue to watch the Volturi, ensure they stay away from you. If we get the smallest inclination for them to visit us or you, we'd get you out of the country."

Bella grinned, the smallest bit of fear hitting Charlie. It was gone just as quickly. "How do you feel about a private island? If not that, a remote cabin with excellent fishing almost year-round?"

"If I have to leave, I'm open to leaving Forks for good, but I need to get my affairs in order. Until then, perhaps we should, it almost seems cruel, maybe we shouldn't."

Edward's eyebrows shot up while Bella looked confused. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"Living in fear could make them do stupid stuff, like confess."

.

.

.

* * *

_**Forty-Eight Hours Later**_

Renee hummed a little song, swaying to the music. They recently installed a stereo system in their brand-new home. Leaving Phoenix behind had been a blessing in disguise. The local police department had been caught in a scandal of epic portions and other agencies were getting involved, many cases would be reviewed, along with evidence reprocessed if possible.

They left Phoenix one point seven million dollars richer and got new identities. With proper management, she and her husband Phil could live a very nice lifestyle for a while. Phil already had a plan in place to secure their future.

The roses she picked up nearby were a colorful addition to the otherwise minimalist décor, the pops of her color brought her such joy. She carried the vase to the sink to fill with water, startling at the face she saw outside the kitchen window.

One blink and it was gone.

She shook her head, talking to herself, "Your imagination is wild today." In the last few hours, she swore she heard her late daughter singing. There it was again, so soft, it didn't seem real.

Goosebumps ran down her arms, the lightest but coldest of breezes made all the hair on the back of her neck stand. A shiver of fear moved through her at the whisper of her name, from a male.

She turned toward the sound, finding nothing, and again, she felt something move past her, though whatever it was, it was inside the house. Everything was in its place, not one thing missing or moving.

"_Mom." _

She jumped, instantly recognizing her daughter's voice, though it sounded unreal. "Of course, it's unreal. She's dead."

"_She's dead, she's dead, she's dead,_" her mimicked voice echoed, though more accusing.

"_You killed me." _It was no whisper that time, it was a menacing growl.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God. _"Bella?"

The reply, a chilling cackle.

A loud crash, one of wood and metal resounded through the house, coming from the garage. She ran, flinging the door open to find Phil shaking his head, weaving as he stood beside his brand-new truck. He'd driven it into the garage without opening the door.

"Are you all right?" She fussed over him, but he pushed her away.

"What the fuck is going on? First, my goddamn job is on the line after someone bought the store. My credit cards aren't working and now my brakes are fucked, too. I thought I had it handled, but then it felt like a hit a solid wall and flung toward the garage."

"You're bleeding, come inside, and we'll see about calling for help." She waved away their nosey neighbors. "Everything is under control." Janet, their jealous neighbor from across the street would likely call the police. Until then, she had to make sure her husband hadn't been drinking and driving. She sent him inside, pulled the truck into the second garage, and ignored the mess for the moment.

Phil stumbled back into the garage. "Holy f-fuck, she…she…I think Bella's haunting us."

.

.

.

* * *

Edward and Bella high fived each other from a nearby roof, immensely enjoying Phil and Renee's fear. It was not enough in Edward's eyes, but it would do until Charlie was ready and they went ahead on the plan.

The rest of the family would take turns watching over Charlie and wreaking havoc in the lives of Phil and Renee. Already, the Cullen siblings were coming up with inventive ways to slowly drive Phil and Renee insane. It would be an interesting few weeks.


	16. The Storm III

**The Storm III**

* * *

"You're staring again, Edward." Bella glanced in his direction for the tenth time in an hour. "Why are you acting so weird?"

Edward groaned and let the heat press's top swing away to reveal the last_est _shirt design and allowed it to cool. "It's been three weeks since you started to work for me and not once have you mentioned what I said about not dating employees."

Bella turned away from him, hiding a smirk. "Guess you didn't make much of an impression with that remark."

"Okay, maybe it was an asshole move to say that and assume you'd want to go out with me, but to not even mention it is cruel." Edward did his best to look especially heartbroken, doing the whole wide eyes and pout thing she could pull off with ease.

She aimed that look at Jake and Jasper when it came to going out to grab lunch or heavy lifting, and they did her bidding. She made some amazing food and they wanted to remain in her good graces. Emmett practically worshiped the ground she walked on since his baking skills were nonexistent.

"Don't look at me that way!" She pointed at the computer screen in front of her. "I have work to do, anything personal needs to be addressed when we're no longer on the clock. Also, Edward, you have to return that call with Meyers today."

She was right. Any discussion about them should be done in privacy.

"On it." Edward accidentally grabbed his personal phone and stared at it. He'd been unable to part with it, even though the mic was fucked up.

Something weighed on his mind, distracting him.

"I like working here," Seth stated in his no-nonsense tone he picked up from Bella when she meant business. "But working around you two is weird."

Jasper laughed. "The tension between you two is enough to drive us all crazy. I'd say leave early and address whatever it is, I'll get Seth home."

"Yes, please." Seth didn't seem to mind that his sister would work at the same place, found it rather convenient. No more public transportation, the buses in the city were too loud and filled with too many people for him.

"I agree with my buddy Seth, very weird." Jasper rolled his eyes as he boxed up an order to ship out the next day. "It's also kind of nauseating."

Jake snorted and tried to impersonate Bella, "'Yes, Edward, I would the order arrived in time.'" He cleared his throat, going for a deeper voice. "'Bella, are you sure that chair is comfortable enough for you?'"

Seth realized something. "They say each other's names a lot. Bella has already said Edward forty-eight times today and Edward has said her name…" he paused for a moment, "Seventy-six times."

Edward and Bella shared a look and smiled. Seth often sprouted out things everyone else had forgotten or would normally have to look up. He picked up everything Edward taught him, within days. Already Edward had given him a laptop and software to create his designs.

"We do not," Edward and Bella said in unison.

"You two are made for each other." Jasper shook his head. "I'm serious, head on out for dinner or drinks."

Edward slipped his phone in his back pocket, and didn't say anything, only a shrugged a shoulder and went back to work.

Bella hummed and hawed for several minutes while she finished the data entry for the day. "Will you look at that? I'm done here, whatever shall I do with my time?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "How about bringing in the mail you picked up earlier before you head out?"

She looked at him, deciding Edward was incapable of reading signals. Jasper and Jake seemed just as confused by Edward's lack of response to their suggestions. Considering he brought up the dating thing again, why shy away now?

Bella noticed how Edward stiffened when she approached his side. More so when her hand slid along the surface and snatched up her keys near his elbow, causing him to flinch. "Someone is jumpy."

"I have a lot on my mind." He wouldn't even look at her.

Bella didn't understand Edward's sudden change, he'd been doing something on his phone for the last several minutes. She walked out into the parking lot and realized it was getting dark earlier with fall around the corner. A strong chilly breeze brushed her bare arms as she made her way to her car, cursing her lack of a jacket or something warmer.

Once her car was in view, she stilled, the sweater she misplaced two days earlier was on the hood. She assumed it was hers, the color and size looked right, but it was wrapped around something. A fissure of fear cut through her for a moment, and she felt the need to look over her shoulder.

For months she had the feeling of being watched and it had intensified in the last few weeks. Other than Emmett's work crew and a few familiar faces from another business across the street, there wasn't anyone else around.

Shaking off the feeling seemed harder to do now that Seth was in her life again. She'd do anything to protect him. The gut feeling grew the closer she got to the car, something red marred the once gray sweater. Drips splashed, bright and crimson onto the black asphalt of the parking lot. She swallowed her fear and opened the sweater, gasping at what she found inside.

.

.

.

* * *

A scream tore through the shop, sending the others on their feet and outside within seconds.

Edward searched for Bella with desperation. He'd been agonizing if he should mention the call to her, but he hadn't wanted to scare her. A stupid decision since her attacker during that call from the future knew her, called her out by name. If she had a stalker, it would stand to reason, he would be watching her for weeks, if not months.

He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. Especially if knowing about the call could ultimately save her life.

"Bella!" Edward found her with arms wrapped around his little sister, Alice. "What happened?"

Bella pointed toward her car. "Alice had made her way toward me when I found that. I didn't know she was right behind me."

Edward let Jasper handle Alice, getting a closer look at Bella's car, nestled in the folds of a gray sweater was a bloody heart. "What the fuck?"

"It appears to be the heart of a pig," Seth said, gently moving it with the end of his pen. "Pig hearts, though often used to replace valves in human hearts, are larger by several ounces."

Emmett joined Edward, grimaced at the morbid gift. "I called the police, or Sam in this case. He'll be here in a few minutes. It wasn't Bella that screamed, it was Alice. Still scared a few years off my life."

Edward nodded and turned to search for Bella. Her eyes were already on him, conveying so much in her stormy eyes. A bloody heart wasn't something most people would see in their lifetime but from the look on her face, she'd seen it or something like it before.

He motioned for her to join him, pulling well away from the onlookers. Most of Emmett's crew and some friends from the nearby tattoo shop talked in whispers, none of them had seen anyone they hadn't recognized in the area.

"Are you okay?"

"We might have to leave." Bella chewed on her lip, not meeting his eyes. "I can't put Seth at risk, he's the only family I have left."

Edward removed his jacket, noticing her shiver in one of the t-shirts he made shortly after she started working for him. "This isn't the first time something like has happened."

She nodded. "Third. First was bloody note, though it looked fake. The second was bloody flowers and smashed candies. Each time I reported it, each time security in the are tightened for a bit, then nothing."

"The blood is real this time," Seth said out loud, his brow tightening a little. "Not human though, but not pig either."

Bella stared at her brother in shock. "What you mean 'this time'?"

Seth looked at the ground, knowing he messed up again. "Someone left one at our house the other night, but I threw it away because I know you don't like blood, even if it's fake."

"At our apartment. Are you sure?"

Edward had seen their building, pretty nice and not too far from work. Security was shit though. "Once the police get here, we'll head over there, see if someone has been inside and then you two are packing your bags."

Seth only nodded. "It's for the best."

"Pack our bags?" Bella's eyes widened. "You want us to stay with you? Are you nuts? We don't even know you."

Edward had to go low if he wanted to protect them. "Think about Seth, Bella. My building has some of the best security in the area. You'll each have rooms and it's only until we find this sick fucker."

Bella glared at him. "Fine."

"Good." Edward watched as she stomped her way toward the shop, brushing passed one of Emmett's crewmen. The asshole stared at her ass and smirked, but Jake caught the look and punched his arm.

.

.

.

* * *

A storm brewed overhead, riding the wind for the last hour. James sat back and watched as flashing blue and red lights made the cockroaches run and hide and all the others stand up, ready to fight. They had no chance in hell in stopping him. He'd finish what he started almost ten years earlier, in a month it would be the anniversary of when she destroyed his life. As the time approached, she'd figure it out, maybe.

By then it would be too late.

* * *

**AN: It's late and there's no excuse other than I'm not feeling well. Sorry! See you all soon. Thanks. **


	17. Prey I

**AN: Trust me...**

**Prey I**

* * *

The thump-thump of the music thrummed in her veins, sending her body in motion to the hypnotic beat. The notes ebbed and flowed over sweat-slick skin, they'd been at it for hours. The night still young. The song changed and her hips already caught up in its rhythm.

Time met little when losing yourself, but something changed in an instant as ice slithered down her spine. Instinct drove her eyes to search the hunting grounds around her. An appropriate description considering the number of those who prowled through gyrating bodies in search of their next conquest.

The danger was there on the outskirts of the dance floor. Her eyes settled on a figure, half-hidden in shadow, a head above most of the crowd. His eyes appeared dark from where she rocked her hips to a familiar beat, his sharp jaw ticked with her rhythm. She felt his gaze caress her body, from her four-inch heels to the top of her head. A stream of light from overhead gave his dark hair a touch of bronzed highlights. Dressed in a tailored-to-perfection suit, sans tie, he demanded attention and respect.

Many glanced toward him, but he honed in on her.

She merely cocked an eyebrow over her shoulder in his general direction, turning to her friend Tanya. Her bright blue eyes were wide, her strawberry blonde hair already matted to her forehead after hours of dancing and club hopping. Her friend leaned closer, Tanya's lips on her ear, knowing it would cause quite a stir among a few dancers. "Do you know who that is?"

She was aware, the man had earned Seattle's Bachelor of Year and Best Smile last month. His company had announced a huge non-profit campaign for a local children's hospital, and his company surpassed projections shortly after he'd taken over after his father retired.

"He's still watching you," Tanya warned, a corner of her mouth lifting. Her best friend was well aware of some of her issues on why she didn't care for men at the moment.

She swung her hips around, doing a little spin. Her eyes met _his _for less than a second, he was still there watching her. "He could be looking at you," she teased.

Who could blame the man if that was the case? Tanya was tall, gorgeous, and smart as hell. Any man or woman would be lucky to have her.

Tanya fluffed her hair and adjusted her tits in the low cut top she wore. She huffed in mock disgust and annoyance, sniffing delicately. "Nope, not one look toward the boobs and you know they always get attention."

She couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh. It wasn't often that Tanya had to work for someone's attention, she always had it. Until now.

Tanya's eyebrows shot up. "Fuck, he's coming."

She tried to remain composed, but she felt her shoulders square and tipped her chin up. "I'm not looking for my next mistake." She felt his commanding presence behind her, and her body instantly heated and chilled.

A startling combination.

"Neither am I," he said, his words tickling her sensitive skin along her bare shoulder. "May I have this dance?" He didn't attempt to lay a hand on her, most men would've disrespected her space already, she gave him points for that.

She carelessly shrugged, throwing a glare his way. "If I say no?"

His smile was slow to widen, but when it did, the transformation from intimidating to charming was instant. Her eyes traveled over a well-sculpted body, well defined in a charcoal gray suit. She nodded against the warning in her mind. Tanya gave her a smile and wink, heading out for her next notch on her bedpost.

His hand reached for her hip while his eyes remained on her face, a feat she admired. Due to his height, he could easily see down the front of her dress.

"Your skin glows," he whispered, his lips a tease against her ear. She couldn't understand why she felt intoxicated by his presence, yet alarmed, too. She went with the flow of the music and his hips, dipping and swirling within the mass of warm bodies. He kept up, impressing her, it was hard to find a good dancer who didn't just grind her ass. Her head fell back against his shoulder as one of his hands slid down her arm and spanned over her stomach. The warmth of his palm caused the butterflies in her stomach to stop. In fear or lust? She couldn't tell.

"Tell me your name." His voice a husky, almost haunting in tone.

"Marie," she whispered. Her go-to name when she visited a club and needed a bit of anonymity. There was no ignoring the way his arm tightened around her waist, the one on her hip pushed at the small of her back. She spun slightly, enough to face him. Under the cloak of shadows, she saw something in his eyes, forcing her to step back.

Anger? Why would he be angry?

The fleeting fire was gone, his arms circling her once again. Fear clogged her throat long enough for her to wonder if it was a good idea to continue dancing with him. The music flowed into the next song, the lyrics soothing her overactive nerves. Why shouldn't she take pleasure with such an incredible man? It had been too long since she felt even an ounce of chemistry, the fear she felt due to her past would likely always be there with anyone she met. It had set her instincts into overdrive.

"Since you're not oblivious to who I am," he whispered in her ear, his hand tightening around her hips. "Why don't we skip to the _fucking_ part of the evening?"

_Ding, ding, ding! Now, are you willing to listen to your instincts?_

She was slow to pull back, her lips twisted in a sneer when their eyes met. "I came to dance with my friends, not leave you with a notch in your bed."

"Your friends are long gone, Bella."

She froze, everything inside her instantly frosting. "I don't care who you are, but the fact that you know my name is creepy as fuck."

She turned to leave, a mistake she'd always regret.

He caught her wrist, tugging him against her. She didn't squirm or even protest though her body did. Pick your battles, she reminded herself. She was surrounded by people, he wouldn't try anything there, he was too high profile to risk it.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Bella." Despite the smooth as silk delivery, shards of ice ripped through her, his finger skimming her cheek. He smirked, satisfied with the involuntary shudder. "Soon." He adjusted his jacket, buttoning it and nodding one last time. Walking off the dancefloor, two other men joined him, and more were awaiting him at the exit.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched him walk away. She wasn't stupid, she knew she'd see him again. She kept close to the crowd, pulling out her cell phone, she needed information and quick.

* * *

**AN: Again trust me. I'm trying to catch up, so I'm posting more tonight for this one. I'm not only suffering from a tooth infection but also cold or bad allergies. Hoping for some Starbucks writing tomorrow. **


	18. Prey II

**AN: Trust me? lol**

* * *

**Prey II**

* * *

For days, Bella looked over her shoulder, waiting for him to make another appearance. She had a friend's husband, a private investigator, do some background checks on the man that freaked her out at the club. According to Eric, on paper Seattle's Bachelor of the Year was squeaky clean, however, something about his past was not adding up. He asked for more time.

Tanya thought he wasn't used to a woman telling him they weren't interested, so he had to leave Bella with a memorable impression. She dismissed it as a man's ego taking a punch in the nuts. And though Bella thought it was possible, she wasn't often wrong about men like him.

Exhausted after a double shift at the hospital, she entered her house at almost four in the morning. She yawned, stripping away layers of clothes and scents often occupying a rotation in the emergency room. Covering for Dr. Cullen would never happen again, she'd rather stick to pediatrics any day of the week.

She walked over to her fridge, looking for a drink. Beach pictures of her and some of the nurses from her floor stared at her as she closed the door. Though it was unusual for a doctor to spend vacations with them, she wouldn't have it any other way. She grew up with Tanya, Lauren, and Angie, they were her best friends.

Twisting the top off of her fruity drink, she drank deeply. It had been a long day and night. Time for a quick shower and off to bed. She had to finish packing in the morning, she was flying out the next day to see her parents, something she had put off for over a year.

She walked over to the small desk in the corner of her living room, ignoring the mirror. There was no need to see how messy her brown hair was in the ponytail she stuck it in earlier. Or the bags under her eyes, no thanks. The light was on her cordless phone machine base, indicating a message. She loosened her hair, finger combing it as the messages played. Her mother of course called, to remind her to pack her bathing suit. Her dad reminding her not to put her pepper spray in her bag, he had some for her while she was in town.

Laughing, she went through her mail. Something fell from between the pages of her Cosmo magazine, onto the floor. Before she picked it up, her machine played the next message. The voice was instantly familiar, chilled her to the bone. "Hello, Isabella."

She grabbed her stomach, hating the way the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up, goosebumps raising over her skin. It had been a week since the night at the club, why would he call her now?

"I wanted to call and wish you a safe flight," he said, a voice like honey and so rich, her body forgot why she was scared of him, for a moment. "I took the liberty to upgrade you to first class. Enjoy your time with your parents, have fun, but not too much fun. See you soon."

She saved the message but refused to listen to it again. Shower, pack, sleep, and the next day she'd be as far from rich, entitled assholes.

.

.

.

* * *

After refusing the upgrade, the airline had insisted and would not take no for an answer. So a quarter of the way to her destination, she traded with a sweet older woman in coach, after she explained to a flight attendant who understood Bella's problem all too well.

Upon landing, a man she didn't recognize held up an iPad with her name in bold blue letters on the screen. Using a pair of oversized sunglasses and hat as cover, she bypassed the limo driver and headed straight to grab her car rental.

Her cell phone rang incessantly an hour later. "Quit trying to buy my affections," she answered, heading toward her parents' home outside of Tampa.

"You've made yourself perfectly clear, Ms. Swan."

"Good."

"However, I intend to see you again."

She sighed, already knowing he wouldn't give in so easily. "Please allow me to enjoy my vacation and we'll talk when I return." A lie, but he didn't know it, she hoped.

"As you wish."

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.

.

* * *

"I don't see why you won't give him a chance," her mother said from the beach towel beside hers. "From what I've seen, he's very good to the women he dates. Most won't kiss and tell, but there are rumors that he's hung like…"

Bella tossed a towel at her mother. "Wipe your drool, Mom." Her mother giggled, making her smile. Renee always made her laugh growing up, it hadn't been the best childhood, but she did her best. Her dad had picked up the slack until she needed to buy her first bra.

"I'm glad you're here." Taking her mother's hand in hers, Bella lay back, hoping for a tan and another drink.

.

.

.

"Feels like you just got here," Charlie Swan said to his baby girl. Even at twenty-six, she was still his little girl. He did what he could to protect her growing up, teach her how to do it herself when he couldn't be with her when she started college.

For ten days Charlie had his beautiful daughter under his roof again. She had grown so much since the fiasco with her ex-fiancé, though she had always been stubborn and headstrong. He saw the subtle changes though, she didn't trust people easily like she used to, and maybe it was a good thing. Eric had called him days earlier, concerned about a man sniffing around his daughter. Bella had dismissed it but said she had already taken care of it. Something told him, it wouldn't be the last time she heard from him.

* * *

**AN: There's two more written that I'll post tonight. See you soon.**


	19. Prey III

**AN: It's okay, trust me.**

* * *

**Prey III**

* * *

"God damn it, Tanya," Bella hissed into her cell phone. "You were supposed to pick me up around three-thirty today. Where are you?" She groaned, trying to find a taxi but failing. She hated using the other driving services due to their questionable treatment of their employees. She knew Angela and Lauren were working, so she couldn't call them up. Not that they could get to her, traffic was awful for miles around.

"Bella." Someone called behind her. Her eyes closed for a moment, wishing she hadn't agreed to talk to him when she returned. She turned, determined for him not to see her scared. Her breath caught, he was spectacular in a dark blue suit that probably cost more than her student loan debt. He had done something different to his hair, it was longer on the top, shorter on the sides. He held out a hand, asking silently for her suitcase

"Thank you," she said, tightening her grip around the strap of her carryon.

"I thought I'd save you the trouble of finding a cab on this fine Tuesday," he murmured, a slight accent in his words was hard to place.

"Thank you, but my friend was supposed to pick me up, maybe she forgot. She's not answering."

"Why don't you try one more time, maybe she was driving." He was giving her an out, maybe he wasn't such a dick. "That way you can tell her to go back home." And maybe he was.

"You should quit while you're ahead," she said, rolling her eyes. Ignoring the way his eyes narrowed as she pulled up her phone to her ear, she turned her back on him. "Come on, Tanya, pick up. Pick up." It went to voicemail after the fourth ring, confirming Bella's worst nightmare.

She had to get a ride from Mr. Bachelor of the Year. He looked perfectly smug about it, too.

.

.

.

* * *

He had been a perfect gentleman the entire ride to her place, sitting across from her and asking about her trip. From time to time he would tell her about an experience in one of the places she had visited with her mother.

She had let her guard down and semi-agreed to a date. Their schedules didn't allow for a lot of time, but she would call when she had an evening free. He didn't seem to like that she worked every night but had agreed. A part of her felt it was a lie, but she had to wonder what the hell was wrong with him the first time they met. Maybe she'd give him a chance.

By Wednesday afternoon, she needed a vacation to recover from her vacation. She also needed to go to the gym for a week straight to make up for food she'd eaten while in Florida. Tanya had left for a family emergency days earlier, leaving very little information with the hospital.

Curious what was happening back home in Forks, she planned on calling her later or asking one of her friends about it. Hours later, she found Angie in one of the few empty beds, napping. With year old twins at home, she couldn't blame her for taking one.

"Hey, do you know what's going on with Tanya?"

Bleary-eyed and yawning, Angie shrugged, her dark kinky curls a riot. Bella pointed at the mess, and how it somehow stuck up to one point in the back. Her mocha skin and perfect complexion didn't hide the blush on her high cheekbones.

"Bitch," Angie hissed, rubbing her forehead with a middle finger. "Not all of us can get out of bed and have glorious hair."

"Ben wants you on the phone anyway," she said, handing her phone. Angie was always leaving it behind. "Did Tanya say anything to you? Was it something with Jack?" Tanya's father had a heart attack the year before.

"No, she didn't say anything to me or Lauren." She looked at her phone, cooing at the screen and then scowling. "Why do they sleep when he's at home with them, but with me they don't."

Bella laughed and left her friend to call her husband. She tried Tanya one more time, this time it went straight to voicemail.

.

.

.

* * *

Two days later, she finally decided to call Tanya's stepmother Sasha. The woman hated her, probably because Bella didn't like her at all. Jack was too good for the gold-digging bitch.

"Isabella, to what do I own this pleasure?" Sasha answered in her nasal tone, her voice made her skin crawl.

"Tanya took some time off for vacation, something about a family emergency. Is Jack okay?"

"Jack is fine, so are the boys. Are you sure? Last I heard, she was flying out for a few days to shop on Rodeo with a new boyfriend."

"Oh, well, I'll try calling her. If you talk to her, can you tell her to call me."

"Sure thing, darling."

.

.

.

* * *

Bella tossed her mail on her desk at home, cursing when it fell to the floor. She knelt to pick it up, her back killing her. A blank sheet of paper was wedged under one of the legs of the desk, the same one that fell from the magazine before her trip. She had never picked it up, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was photo paper. Turning it, she gasped as her hand flew to her face.

It was Tanya, in her bed, asleep. Her mind settled on a few memories, the secret smiles over texts she received, her insistence on forgetting all about Seattle's Best Man, and the two phone calls she had while in Florida. One to call her if she could borrow her black dress, an expensive little number, and another to tell her she met someone and she couldn't wait to tell her about him when she returned. She kept saying she was sorry but never said why.

"Oh God, oh God." Grabbing her keys, she ran out her front door, he'd see her now whether he wanted to or not. At the door, she licked her lips and winced. She wrote out several notes, placed one on her fridge, another in her medicine cabinet and the last one in a notebook by the phone.

If something happened to her, they'd know who to question.

* * *

**AN: One more for the night. See you soon.**


	20. Prey IV

**Prey IV**

* * *

Edward sat back, the soft fabric of his shirt protesting under the strain of his biceps. He pushed forward, tugging the shirt off his back with one hand and tossing it aside. His hand ran over his head; fuck did he miss the longer length on the sides. He had nothing to grab onto when he was stressed as he felt at the moment. The moan coming from the television sounded all fucking wrong and fake as hell. What made him think a porno would help him relieve some stress, or cure him of boredom. A few weeks off from work would be heaven under normal circumstances for most, but being forced to take time off wasn't his idea of fun. He needed to work, hated being idle with nothing to do.

He read a novel or two. Caught up on his favorite zombie shows, fished until he couldn't stomach the taste or smell any longer. His cabin had always been a haven, but with nothing but time on his hands, he had spent too much time in his head.

It wasn't the best place to be, dark eyes and dark hair haunted him. He tossed a few logs in the woodstove and turned off the television. Fake tits and puffy lips weren't the answer to his problem.

He put away his dumbbell set in the corner and wiped the sweat from his chest and arms, walking to the fridge for some water. Outside the window in the kitchen, he saw nothing but thick bushes and trees, one hell of a view of the starry sky.

Okay, maybe it had been a good idea to come out for a while. A loud screech came from the west, from the highway. It didn't sound like an animal, but a car. He grabbed a shirt from the laundry room, stopped for his shotgun by the front door, and stepped out onto the porch. His surroundings sounded familiar, quiet except for the typical sounds of the forest.

Until it didn't. There was a cry, a soft mew of pain, a sob and the thump and drag of someone coming from the direction of the road. Had someone crashed? Signals weren't the best on the stretch of the mountain road. He continued down the worn path, heading toward the sound, careful to stop every few minutes to listen for it again. The forest canopy and underbrush had the habit of throwing voices.

"Please, no, no, no," a whisper coming from his right. From the west, almost directly in front of him was a wildly searching beam from a flashlight. Unsure, he headed toward the voice instead of the light, further into the dark.

Then he ran straight into a tiny little thing, she cowered under his stare. Dark eyes and matching eyes looked at him as if he was a demon. A sound from the west startled her enough to tuck herself tightly against his chest, apparently, she'd rather face the devil.

"Bella! Where are you? You think you can hide from me!"

"Please help." Her voice was so small, and it stabbed him in the chest.

"Follow the purple marked trees starting with that one," he pointed to one and then another a hundred feet away, there's a cabin after the tenth one, go inside and hide in the loft."

She whimpered, dragging one of her feet too much, but she didn't let it stop her. Her hands and wrists were marked with blood, but he'd have to address it later.

"Go, I'll distract him."

He walked backward until he reached the boundary of his property lines. The sign on the tree beside him made it clear trespassing and hunting on his property would be shot. The beam of light became brighter as it neared, the man's voice picking up in pitch and desperation. Was it fear that drove him, or anger?

From the expression from the woman, he'd say anger. It wasn't long before the man stood before him, looking so out of place in a pricey suit with the jacket and tie, hair slicked back, and with a watch that would buy Edward a fleet of trucks if needed.

Anger still curled the man's lip, but once he realized Edward had no intention of lowering his weapon. "This is private property."

"I'm sorry to bother you," the man said, his dark hair with a hint of red lost the sneer, replacing it with practiced sincerity and worry. "You see, we had a bit of car trouble and my dog got away." He said nothing for a few seconds, studying Edward as carefully as he was assessing him.

"Nobody has been up this way," Edward said, gesturing toward his left. "Heard some yipping down that way though, might be some foxes or a dog."

"It could be my little bitch," there was no sincerity in his words now. "I should go check. Is it just you up here?"

Edward shook his head. "A few buddies and I are up in the cabin a ways from here, plan to do some fishing tomorrow. You need a phone?"

For a second, the man looked confused as he stepped closer.

Edward removed the safety, making her the asshole knew it, too. "That's close enough. Do you need a phone for your car trouble?"

"Yes."

Edward held out a cell phone to see what the asshole would do, but the man didn't take it. He wanted him to take it, could use the fingerprints for later.

"Never mind, I should be able to get back on the road with no trouble. If you happen to see my dog, do you mind giving me a call?"

"Sure, what does she look like?"

"Dark eyes, dark hair, she's a bit of a mutt, too." The sick fuck smiled at his description.

"I'd try calling out for her as you head back, don't go looking for her off the trails. You'll get lost."

"Don't you want my number?"

"I know exactly who you are Mr. Biers and how to find you. You might want to look me up when you get a chance, Edward Cullen, Detective Edward Cullen."

"I see." The dick squared his shoulders, turned toward the road, calling out "Bella" every few seconds.

Edward wanted to put a bullet in him right then, but he wouldn't shoot an unarmed man in the back. He cursed as he checked for a signal, finding none.

He had to call his partner about the woman in his cabin.

.

.

.

* * *

Edward wasn't stupid, he waited almost an hour before checking the perimeter of his cabin to make sure the asshole had left. He had wanted to follow him back to the car but was afraid Biers would circle around and find his cabin and the woman.

He knocked on his door. "It's me, the owner of the cabin. I'm coming in, don't hit me." There was the sound of feet moving away quickly, a small moan of pain accompanying it. Caution and years of training told him to tread carefully, if she'd been attacked by that asshole, a sudden movement could scare her and could cause her to react violently in self-preservation.

She paced in front of the fireplace and gasped when he lowered his weapon. "No! Keep it on you at all times!"

Edward held it up, but away from him. "All right. I want you to feel comfortable, so I'll unload it."

Her dirty, tangled hair moved wildly as she shook her head. "No. Remove the safety, because he'll be back."

"I know who you are, Ms. Swan."

She whirled around, her feet shifting until they were shoulder-width apart, a fighter's stance. "Are you one of his fucking hunting buddies? Is this some kind of trick to fuck with my mind? Make me believe in getting out of this alive?"

"You've been missing for almost five days, Ms. Swan. Your friend, Tanya, her car was found abandoned soon after that, you're both current missing person cases."

Edward approached her with caution, doing his best to check over her injuries. "I'm a detective from Seattle, I'm on administrative leave but I'm aware of the cases in my department."

That instantly made her spine go rigid. "There was a picture, of him and others. A lot of important people are involved in Riley Biers' biannual hunter soirées." A dark chuckle tumbled from her lips. "They love to fancy up the name, but it still means the same thing. They made a game of hunting humans."

"I believe you about him, he's been suspected of doing a lot of shit over the years. Before anything or anyone could point a finger at him, it suddenly goes away, and now _I _know why."

"He's going to get away with this, too." She clenched her fists and jaw. "He's killed over thirty-five people on his own, he fucking gloated about it. Who knows how many the other hunters killed?" She shook her head. "He's untouchable. They're all untouchable, including your boss."

Edward finally understood why he was asked to take a vacation. It hadn't been because of his insomnia; it was the fact that he was asked by a former chief of police, Charlie Swan, to look into Riley Biers.

"The fact that you helped me has probably made this his most interesting and challenging hunt ever."

* * *

**AN: Human hunting parties are the stuff of urban legends, I've seen it on numerous TV shows and movies. Now, did Edward's boss put him on leave knowing he'd go up to his cabin?**


	21. The Curse III

**The Cursed III**

* * *

I found it surprising to not wake up with a pounding headache. From the scent of burning my sensitive nose, I somehow made it to the hospital. Again. It didn't surprise me in the least. The fact that I felt no pain, of the physical variety at least, scared the shit out of me.

_I'm dead. _

What other possible reason would there be to not feel pain after smashing my head against a table?

"Wake up, Bella!" It came from a familiar voice that both sent alarms through my mind, but put my body into overdrive.

_Fucking figures, I'd fall in lust with a ghost._

"I killed her, fucking shit, she's dead because of me." The anguished voice made me stir enough to alert him.

"Can you tone down the volume? I'm trying to die here."

"That's not fucking funny, Bella!" Why did the hot ghost insist on yelling?

"_Has she spoken before this?"_ The unfamiliar voice sounded equally soothing as Edward's ghostly one. Not exactly a good thing, but at least my ears would be treated to something nice. Another voice replied to him but I couldn't make it out. _"Well, just in case, you're in the hospital, perhaps you're confused."_

I cracked an eye opened, instantly regretting it. I did what came naturally, hissed like a creature of the night. I must've screamed, someone held me down.

The sound of a door closing and a curtain shifting assaulted my ears. _Hey, what do you know, a doctor could take orders. _

"_The lights are off, Ms. Swan. She must be sensitive to light."_

I shook my head. "I'm fine, just tell me how long I have to live, Doc."

A soft chuckle made me sigh, but Edward's huff of annoyance made my skin erupt in goosebumps along my right shoulder. One thing I'd learn in my youth, for some reason, I could touch the spirts. So, I elbowed him. His grunt of pain seemed to shock him and me too for that matter.

Usually, it felt like I would hit thick air, barely tangible, yet, he seemed thicker. There was a joke somewhere in there, but I didn't have the energy to find it.

"You had approximately twenty-four hours to live, Ms. Swan, unfortunately, you've been unconscious for twenty-two of them." That sounded like Edward, but I couldn't be sure.

I attempted to snap my fingers, but failed miserably. "That sucks. Any cute doctors or nurses nearby so I can go out with a bang?

That made the doctor choke! Success.

I tended to lose my filter and joke whenever I was faced with uncertainty.

At the moment, my mind was in chaos, because for the brief second I opened my eye earlier, I saw Edward standing by the bed and very much alive.

It could mean a couple of things. I had finally had some kind of mental breakdown and was currently struggling to pull myself out of the abyss. Or a demon decided to play games with me, all in the attempt to weaken my resolve.

Either one would be difficult to overcome.

"There's a third option," Edward said, somewhat amused. "He's my twin brother Anthony."

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.

.

* * *

After a not thorough enough examination from the hot, older looking Cullen sibling, Edward glared at his departing figure. He looked upset and annoyed.

"Guess that explains why you're here and not in Chicago." Confused, I attempted to sit up. "You mentioned your parents and a sister, but never your brother."

"We're Irish twins, though once I got a bit older you could barely tell." His eyes went from the hard, cold black they were earlier to something softer, greener. "I'm sorry about earlier."

I shrugged. "It's not the first time a ghost lost their shit and went all avenging spirit on me. Usually, I have time to get away."

"They gave you something to sleep after…" He sat the edge of the bed. "Mind catching me up in the last ten years?"

"A draft dodger is the president of the United States. The Raiders are moving to Vegas. Prince is gone, as is the funniest man, the great Robin Williams, and superheroes are the biggest box office draw other than Harry Potter, of course."

He smiled and really, he needed to warn me when he did these things. It made everything hazy.

Why didn't I feel any pain?

It didn't make sense.

"You're different here," I stated, asking him to come closer. "You didn't respond to my question about your brother."

"You asked a question?" When I scowled, he sighed. "Fine, he's an asshole, so was his best friend. They made my junior year in college hell. I don't understand why I'd attach to him after I was killed."

"Well we need answers, so I'll have to talk to him again." I looked at him, finding it strange that he seemed much more real. "You're cuter."

Edward smirked. "Good to know." He came a little closer and smiled as I reached out for him. He grabbed my hand, pressing a kiss to the tips of my fingers.

I swooned or passed out. _Fuck that pesky ghost!_

.

.

.

* * *

"Bella!" Edward wouldn't stop screaming and I was beyond annoyed with him.

"What?" I sat up and realized I'd been moved. My favorite pair of jeans and top replaced the scratchy hospital gown I woke up wearing the first time. "Why am I dressed?"

Edward started to pace and I could hear his footsteps across the laminate flooring. Though the antiseptic scent no longer overwhelmed the area, it still lingered. The darkened hospital hallway looked eerily deserted, noises were limited to our breathing, Edward's pacing, and various unknown groans.

"I think you're dead or dying," Edward blurted out, his hands in his hair. His dark eyes were wide and filled with fear and genuinely apologetic.

"Yeah, if that was the case, I'd be able to walk through walls." I proceeded to show him that I couldn't do that, only to suddenly find myself in my hospital room. Where my body slept, surrounded by mute machines and flowers. Some of the blooms withered before my eyes, others seemed fresher. As if a lot of time passed since I arrived.

"What the hell happened?"

"You've been in and out since you go here. We were talking and you passed out, you had a nightmare. You woke up again screaming for Anthony, that you needed to talk to him about me. Except he'd been called away, so someone else came in to see you."

"Another doctor?"

Edward nodded, rubbing his hand over his mouth. "You pointed at him and called him a murder. That he killed me. They didn't know what to do, they sedated to you. I tried to get you to calm down."

"Why don't I remember any of this?" My body wasn't dead, that much was clear.

"He did something to you." Edward's eyes darkened; his hands clenched into fists as he stepped closer to my body. "After everyone left, he injected you with something else and you haven't woken up since." He spun so fast that it startled me. "Do you know things? See things?"

I nodded then shrugged. "Sometimes my dreams tell me what to look for, tell me what I need. But Edward, if I'm here, how can I possibly help you?"

"You're not dead, as you can see. Maybe you'll have more freedom to help me in this form."

"We'll need to figure out how to put me back." I stood a little taller and nodded hard. "Okay, first, we need to find out why you're here and not back home. Second, we need to find a way to access the internet so I can look up any public information about your murder."

"We need to find a laptop or that fancy phone you had." Edward paced toward a set of cabinets. "They put your stuff inside there, but I haven't been able to open it."

"As I told you before, you need to take energy from around you, but in a hospital, it could have deadly consequences, we'd have to leave. Besides, we'd drain anything we tried to use. We need to…hijack a body."

* * *

**AN: I know that was kind of strange, but if someone is in and out of it, you don't remember everything that happened and some of it may mix with dreams you had during that period. At least was the case for me while on morphine, to this day, I barely remember my hospital stays. I will NOT be finished before Halloween, because of the cold and toothache from hell. So I'll just keep going until I'm done.**


	22. Best Served Cold III

**Best Served Cold III**

* * *

Phil Dwyer trembled as the scalding water fell over his head, a shower the only reprieve he had in weeks. Someone or something had been fucking with his head.

His wife, Renee, turned into a royal bitch when fear was a constant companion in her life. She only added to all the bullshit he had to deal with as of late.

How he once thought she was the perfect match was beyond him at that point. At the first sign of trouble, she was ready to confess and end their way of life.

He refused to believe in ghosts, but someone _was _trying to make him believe in the supernatural. There'd been stories, heard a few over the years from other con artists and grifters. How some of their past victims had come to haunt them.

Bella wouldn't have had the balls. Often opinionated but timid girl, she kept it contained for her mother, whom she believed loved her. But in other areas, she'd been much too observant. It wasn't long before she figured out his plans when he insisted they look for life insurance policies shortly after getting married to her mother.

However, the stupid girl thought he had intended to have her mother killed to collect the money until her mother had supposedly joked that they should have Bella killed so she could get new tits.

Bella had nervously laughed it off at the time.

After that little slip from Renee, it hadn't taken long for his wife to consider their options. To help those thoughts along, he'd emphasized how big the bills were in comparison to how much he made. He'd hand over the want ads with possible places for Renee to work, something she hadn't wanted. Considering she quit her job weeks before their wedding day, he knew eventually Renee would ask _an important question. _

_Can we get away with it?_

It was then that he told her that they could and how he'd done it before. It hadn't been as big of an insurance policy as Bella's but it could be done. They planned for months and all the while, Bella had known something was wrong.

She picked and picked at him, invoking his anger and he never wanted to hit a girl so badly. The girl had been damn lucky he hadn't acted on the urge, especially after the first attempt failed.

It didn't matter anymore. They succeeded in executing her death, picked up the paycheck, and started a whole new life.

Not even Bella's gun-toting father would be able to find them.

Yet, someone had.

No one from their old life knew where they'd settle other than Greg, who handled the paperwork they needed to start a new life. He wondered if Greg had caved to Charlie, or the police, or wanted more money for his part in all of it. Phil had little choice in the matter, he'd have to call the asshole and find out if he'd been scared into talking or if he was intending to blackmail them.

Either way, he was a loose end he'd have to take care of soon. Renee could earn her part, use in her feminine whiles and gorgeous new tits to get Greg comfortable and then poison him. Or lure him into a dark alley where he'd finish the job.

The money they had wouldn't last forever, she would have to play roles soon enough and she had to learn anyway. Why not start now?

He finished his shower, startling when he heard a strange squeak coming from outside the sleek glass enclosure. Listening for a moment longer, the squeaking was consistent.

"Renee?"

When she didn't answer, he cursed his overactive imagination. He refused to cower and hide like his wife had done since the "haunting" started. Ignoring the instinct to flee, he opened the shower door and looked around the steam-filled bathroom.

Nothing out of the ordinary, until the crunch of something breaking, made him look up and across the room at the mirror. The words "Hello, Phil" were written on the fogged-up surface. The dot in the eye a small semicircle of cracks.

He swallowed as a cold breeze shot passed him, another squeak accompanied the sudden appearance of another letter in the mirror. No, not a letter, but a heart. Soon after, as cold breezes swept throughout the room, the name Bella appeared.

"Renee!"

He heard his wife running toward the room then nothing but a loud grunt as if something stopped her.

Another crunch of the mirror breaking made him look again, the message clear.

_Hello, Phil._

_Love, Bella_

_P.S. Not even she can help you._

He scrambled with a towel and ran toward the exit, something from the outside preventing him from escaping the bathroom. The doorknob wouldn't even turn in his hand.

Something, growled in his ear, "You're next." Male, not Bella's usually pleasant, soft voice.

And another added, more like Bella's but smoother. "Unless you do the right thing."

"Phil!" Renee's pounding of the door lasted only a second and it suddenly swung open. She looked shocked and scared, and on an edge, he stared with her. "Greg has gone missing!"

"Why did you come running then stopped when I called for you?" He was in her face, forcing her to take several steps back into their master bedroom.

"I saw the paper you left on the bed." She held up the paper, and on the front page from a local paper from back home was a picture of his old college buddy, an up and coming criminal attorney, the headline left little to the imagination.

"I didn't put that there." He grabbed the paper from her, scanning the article and cursed. "It's all making sense. First, for some reason, your ex-husband, suddenly backs off, giving us a chance to find a way to leave. Then some of our friends on the force, and at the crash scene, are put on administrative leave pending an investigation. Then before we leave home for good, the insurance starts calling, they have questions for us about Bella and her truck."

"Everyone involved, or helped us in any way, are suddenly facing trouble or…" Renee pointed at the paper, or have gone missing, but she didn't need to say the words aloud.

"Call your husband now?"

Renee's lips curled into a snarl. "I'm looking at him."

"You know what I mean. Call Charlie and find out what he's up to. You always said you had him wrapped around your little finger, now use that to get us the information we need. Use a burner phone, we may have to leave."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Phil pointed to the mirror and said he didn't want any more messages like that.

"What message?"

He turned to find the mirror with no fear-inducing words written in the fogged-up surface, no cracks and fissures he swore he'd seen appear before his eyes. It looked perfectly normal.

"Call him now, Renee."

* * *

**AN: I didn't forget about these! Honestly, I'd like to finish the rest of the multi-chapter ones before waiting again for October. Sorry for the day, all mistakes are mine since this is not beta'ed. This one should conclude in two more chapters, next will likely be the next chapter for The Dark Hallway. Life has been pretty crazy, and some of you may not know unless you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, but my baby (16 yr son) got his girlfriend pregnant. *facepalm* So guess who has a couple of more mouths to feed and help? My husband and me are stressed as fuck. **

**Anyway, my grandson is due any day now and we're so not ready! **


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